The government has unveiled its bid to end the CO2 stunning of pigs before slaughter.
Through a consultation, launched today and running until 21 December, its proposals would see the pork industry move towards “more humane methods” if successful.
The proposed alternatives include the use of argon gas and automated electrical stunning, which the government said were practices “proven to substantially reduce animal suffering”.
As well as welfare benefits, the government will seek views on costs, feasibility and potential timescales for phasing out the use of CO2.
“We are a nation of animal lovers – pigs are intelligent animals that deserve to be treated with care and respect throughout their lives including at slaughter,” said farming minister Stephen Morgan.
“The public want to know the meat they buy in the shops is produced in a way that supports high standards of animal welfare,” he added. “These plans will help deliver that and reduce unnecessary suffering.”
The government also said the plan would help reduce the industry’s dependence on CO2, the supplies of which have been affected by conflict in the Middle East.
“We are committed to supporting farmers and businesses make this transition which will bring long-term benefits,” Morgan added.
The government committed to ban the use of CO2 in the pre-slaughter process of stunning pigs in its Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December.
The pledge was made after Defra’s Animal Welfare Committee suggested the pork industry should be “prohibited” from using the pre-slaughter process in a policy paper published in October last year.
Animal Welfare Committee chair Madeleine Campbell said the “evidenced-based argument for moving away from the use of high concentration CO2 on animal welfare grounds was incontrovertible”.
“I hope that all stakeholders will now work together to overcome the acknowledged challenges for industry which such a move presents and deliver that change within a transition period which is as short as possible,” she added.
But, despite being supported by animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming, pork industry stakeholders have repeatedly condemned the proposal, saying it could devastate the sector.
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