Animal rights campaigners claim victory over stunning of pigs

Animal rights campaigners have claimed victory after ministers moved to ban the stunning of pigs with carbon dioxide. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) unveiled proposals on Monday to outlaw using CO2 to subdue pigs before they are slaughtered, saying it causes them “unnecessary pain and distress”. In England and Wales, over 90pc of pigs are slaughtered using CO2. But ministers have said the system must change as part of their official Animal Welfare Strategy. Defra said in a statement: “Pigs are highly sentient and intelligent animals, capable of experiencing pain and fear. Minimising distress during handling and slaughter is an important part of safeguarding their welfare.” Project Slingshot, a pressure group funded by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz , said the move vindicated a recent high-profile campaign calling for an end to the practice. Thousands of adverts featuring comedian Diane Morgan ran on the London Underground as part of the push, and the group also projected campaign videos onto Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. Naomi Hallum, the head of Project Slingshot, said: “We are relieved that the horrors of CO2 are coming to an end, and are glad to have played our part in that. “When the public was given the information about what CO2 slaughter means for pigs through our ads, stunts and social media posts, they were horrified too.” However, the National Pig Association and the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) warned against the move. Jonathan Powell, from the BMPA, said a rapid transition away from CO2 would put the UK’s food security at risk. He said: “It’s a major food security issue. Ninety per cent of pigs are killed using CO2 but there’s no viable alternative on the table at the moment.” The British Pig Association (BPA) also said the testing of alternatives such as argon gas had not been rigorous enough to introduce across the industry. Argon can take up to four minutes for a pig to be killed and costs around 250pc more than CO2. Lizzie Wilson, the chief executive of BPA, said: “None of the alternatives have been tested at a commercial scale. Any alternative needs to deliver on improved welfare throughout.” Ms Wilson said using CO2 meant large numbers of pigs could be slaughtered at the same time, which optimised abattoir efficiency. “Abattoirs are established to run at an optimum throughput. Anything less than that means they fall over,” she said. There are just 200 abattoirs in the UK, a reduction of 90pc since the 1970s when there were 2,500. Project Slingshot does not back the use of argon or electric stunning, which they believe to be poorly researched and inhumane. The group is also campaigning against salmon farming. A government spokesman said: “The public want to know the meat they buy in the shops is produced in a way that supports high standards of animal welfare. These plans will help deliver that and reduce unnecessary suffering. “We’ve worked closely with industry to make sure this change delivers better welfare for pigs without burdening the businesses and abattoirs that supply our pork.”