Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind has today called on the Scottish Government to end the use of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to stun pigs before killing them in slaughterhouses.

The calls come after the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) recommended that UK governments prohibit CO₂ stunning as it inflicts avoidable pain, distress or suffering on pigs. 

CO₂ gas dissolves in the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, forming acid, which at current commercial concentrations of the gas is likely to be severely painful for the pigs. Inhalation of the gas also leads to respiratory distress and the desperate feeling of ‘air hunger’, which the AWC reports “is associated with profound anxiety, frustration, fear and panic”. Fear and anxiety are exacerbated by pigs “experiencing a highly aversive yet inescapable environment.” 

OneKind CEO Jason Rose says: 

“CO₂ stunning of pigs is unbelievably cruel. Scots will be horrified to learn that this method of stunning, which triggers intense pain, panic, and fear, is permitted in our country.” 

In a letter sent to the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie, the charity highlighted the use of CO₂ stunning as an “urgent welfare risk”. The AWC’s newly published opinion urges that any transition to alternative methods should be “as short as possible” and, at the very least, be completed within five years. 

Jason Rose continues: 

“Subjecting pigs to such agony in their final moments is not just cruel, it's indefensible. A country that claims to uphold animal welfare cannot permit the use of CO₂ stunning. This is urgent. So long as animals are part of our food system, their wellbeing must be prioritised. The Scottish Government must follow the expert advice and commit to ending CO₂ stunning once and for all.” 

CO₂ stunning has long been criticised by experts, including the former Farm Animal Welfare Council and the European Food Safety Authority, both of which called for its end over two decades ago. 

ENDS 

Notes to Editor

1. OneKind’s letter to the Scottish Government can be read here.
2. The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC)’s published opinion on the welfare impacts of CO₂ gas stunning can be found here.