We, the undersigned, call on the government to introduce legislation requiring that all animals be effectively stunned before slaughter, without exception.

Animals raised for food deserve to be treated with dignity and spared unnecessary suffering. By requiring stunning before slaughter in all cases, the government can take an important step toward improving animal welfare.

Scientific evidence and veterinary consensus show that stunning animals before slaughter significantly reduces pain, distress, and suffering. Ensuring animals are unconscious before their throats are cut is widely recognised as a fundamental animal welfare protection.

While many slaughterhouses already use stunning as standard practice, current laws allow exemptions that permit animals to be slaughtered without prior stunning. These exemptions mean that some animals may experience avoidable suffering during the slaughter process.

We believe that improving animal welfare should be a priority in modern society. Requiring pre-stunning for all animals would ensure consistent welfare standards, reflect public concern for animal welfare, and align slaughter practices with the latest scientific understanding of humane treatment.

We therefore urge the government to:

Introduce legislation requiring that all animals be stunned before slaughter.

Remove exemptions that allow slaughter without pre-stunning.

Ensure strong enforcement and monitoring of humane slaughter standards.