End in sight for pig gassing as Government moves to tackle decades of suffering for animals farmed for meat
Millions of pigs could be spared pain and panic before slaughter under Government plans to end a controversial gassing method used despite welfare warnings stretching back more than 20 years.
The RSPCA welcomed the proposed phase-out of high-concentration carbon dioxide, which it says is used to stun and kill around 90 per cent of pigs slaughtered in the UK.
The gas can cause animals distress and breathing difficulties before they lose consciousness. Ministers launched a consultation on Monday, October 26, examining alternatives and the timescale for ending its use.
The announcement comes more than two decades after the Government’s own Farm Animal Welfare Council recommended phasing out the method in 2003, according to the RSPCA.
Thomas Schultz-Jagow, the charity’s director of advocacy and prevention, said: “Every year, millions of pigs suffer distress and pain when slaughtered using CO2, so this is a critical welfare issue.
“No one wants to think about animals being slaughtered, but we cannot ignore how the food on our plates is produced, or we have no hope of progressing farmed animal welfare.”
He added: “We welcome the government’s commitment to end this slaughter method and we will work with them to drive this critical change forward to improve the welfare of pigs as soon as possible.”
More than 22,000 people signed an RSPCA petition in 2025 calling for a rapid end to the practice, which was handed to the Prime Minister.
The announcement has yet to deliver a final deadline. The consultation, which runs until December 21, will consider welfare benefits, costs, feasibility and possible transition periods. Proposed alternatives include argon gas and automated electrical stunning.
The suffering involved stands in stark contrast to the abilities of the animals entering slaughterhouses.
Vegan campaigning charity Viva! describes pigs as intelligent, sensitive and highly social animals capable of responding to one another’s emotions and forming strong bonds.
Its account of pigs’ lives highlights research showing they can learn to operate a joystick to complete a computer task. Piglets play, chase and scamper, while mothers communicate with their young through distinctive grunts during nursing.
Viva! argues that protecting these animals means looking beyond slaughter methods to the conditions in which they are bred and reared, and urges people to choose a vegan diet.
RSPCA Assured, the charity’s farm assurance scheme and food label, said businesses must receive practical support to make the transition.
Its executive director, Toby Baker, said: “This is a really positive step forward for pig welfare, and we welcome the commitment to ending the use of CO₂ gas.
“We are pleased to see recognition that farmers must be supported with this change, and we urge the government to introduce a clear, practical phase-out plan that helps farmers transition to humane slaughter methods, so they aren’t bearing the burden alone. We must work together for welfare.”
RSPCA Assured currently permits CO₂ stunning under its welfare standards. The scheme requires an average minimum concentration of 90 per cent, which it says makes pigs unconscious more quickly and limits suffering while the method remains in use.
