Scottish government urged to end CO2 gassing of pigs

Carbon dioxide 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 said: “Carbon dioxide 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 agriculture minister, Jim Fairlie, the charity highlighted the use of carbon dioxide 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. 

Mr Rose added: “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 carbon dioxide 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 carbon dioxide stunning once and for all.”