Working to improve animal slaughter practices

We believe that the slaughter practices and the law must be improved, properly monitored and enforced to ensure that all farmed animals have a more humane end to their lives. We're working in a number of different ways to try to achieve this.

Engaging with governments and the food and farming industries

Our Farm Animal Department staff can visit abattoirs, view the practices and give advice on how animal welfare improvements could be made. Our specialist staff also engage with governments (both UK and EU), food retailers, the slaughter and farming industries to encourage changes for the better.

Developing welfare standards for farm animals

We're able to improve the lives of millions of farm animals each year using our RSPCA welfare standards for farm animals. We've developed these for nine of the major farmed animals in the UK, and they include hundreds of requirements to ensure higher standards of welfare for all animals reared in line with them. Each document includes sections of requirements, informed by scientific evidence and practical experience, to ensure humane handling and slaughter/killing.

Slaughter without pre-stunning (religious slaughter)

Read more about what we're doing on the issue of religious slaughter.

Find out more