We are proud to share some incredible news: the UK Animal Welfare Committee has officially called for a full ban on CO₂ gas stunning of pigs, recognizing the serious and prolonged suffering it causes. In their final report, published October 16th, the Committee recommends that the method be phased out at the latest within five years—a major victory for animal welfare and for the pigs who will no longer have to endure this distressing process.
This decision marks a turning point—and it was made possible because a practical, more humane alternative for large-scale slaughterhouse finally exists. For years, governments and regulators, including the EU, acknowledged that CO₂ stunning was painful and undesirable. But without a viable alternative for large slaughterhouses, the method continued to be tolerated.
That’s why, in 2020, Eyes on Animals joined a slaughterhouse willing to develop a better electric -stunning system. Working with our team of experts, including regular online advice from Dr. Temple Grandin, Eyes on Animals made a brand new design for automatic electric stunning system that significantly reduces animal suffering while still meeting the efficiency needs of large through-put slaughterhouses. Since 2022, it has been in full operation—and it works. It is not 100%, no large-scale slaughterplant can be perfectly humane, but it is so much better than CO2 gas stunning. Eyes on Animals regularly trains the staff and has hosted over a dozen delegations from UK, France, Germany and even Japan, all eager to study this new design.
By proving that there is a less-cruel method of pig slaughter on a commercial scale, our design helped remove the last major excuse for continuing with CO₂. Today’s call for a ban in the UK is the first direct result of that progress.
We are incredibly encouraged by this development and will continue working to ensure more countries follow the UK’s lead.
