Disclaimer: These examples are not an endorsement.

Arrival and lairage management

Brand Qualitätsfleisch is a medium-sized slaughterhouse in Lohne, Germany, where transparency and animal welfare at slaughter play a particularly important role.
The slaughterhouse Thönes-Natur-Verbund in Wachtendonk, Germany, specializes in the slaughter of pigs that meet the quality requirements of the Naturverbund (organic and Thönes-Natur).
Vion Food Group has developed a management system called “PigSlot” which allows transporters and drivers to see when the slaughterhouse as the destination of the transport has free capacity to unload the animals and to accommodate them in the lairage area.
Sensor technology cannot yet replace a human during the meat inspection, but it has potential to play an important role in the future. Currently it can already add value to the inspections and provide better insight into animal welfare issues than by human inspections alone (Voogt et al., 2023). The document 'Artificial intelligence in slaughterhouses to improve animal welfare' provides several examples of digital technology systems to improve animal welfare.
Use of flight zone and point of balance: Stress-free stockmanship in pigs relies on understanding their species-specific behavior—specifically their flight zone and point of balance—to guide them calmly without force, shouting, or hitting. This approach uses a "pressure and release" technique, where the handler applies pressure to initiate movement and releases it to reward calm behavior.
Optimized flooring in stressfree stockmanship in pigs: Sawdust on the floors of a loose bridge and driveway improves grip of pigs that are moved in the slaughterhouse. The sawdust also helps to reduce contrasts and reflections on the floor.

Go to the dossier on arrival and lairage management.

Pig stunning and bleeding

Brand Qualitätsfleisch is a medium-sized slaughterhouse in Lohne, Germany, where transparency and animal welfare at slaughter play a particularly important role.
The slaughterhouse Thönes-Natur-Verbund in Wachtendonk, Germany, specializes in the slaughter of pigs that meet the quality requirements of the Naturverbund (organic and Thönes-Natur).
Sensor technology cannot yet replace a human during the meat inspection, but it has potential to play an important role in the future. Currently it can already add value to the inspections and provide better insight into animal welfare issues than by human inspections alone (Voogt et al., 2023). The document 'Artificial intelligence in slaughterhouses to improve animal welfare' provides several examples of digital technology systems to improve animal welfare.
Improved automatic electric stunning: This video highlights practical improvements made to an automatic high-throughput electric stunning system in a large pig slaughterhouse. By modifying the infrastructure and handling process, the system now reduces stress, minimizes resistance, and enhances overall animal welfare.

Go to the dossier on pig stunning and bleeding.

Slaughter and killing - Inspiring examples