The stunning process ensures the animal is unconscious and insensible to pain before being bled out at slaughter. Common stunning methods include electrical stunning, captive-bolt stunning or the use of carbon dioxide gas. Following stunning, the animal is bled and remains unconscious until it dies due to blood loss.

Why is it necessary to stun before bleeding?

The law states that, with few exemptions, all animals must be stunned before 'sticking' (neck cutting) is carried out. Sticking is when an animal's neck is cut, using a very sharp knife, to sever the major blood vessels in its neck/chest that supply the brain, ensuring rapid blood loss and therefore death.

Why is stunning done before slaughter?

The current European Union law states that all animals farmed for food production must be made unconscious (stunned using electricity, gas, or a stun gun) before being killed. ... These practices very often result in animals being killed using a knife to cut their throat and bled to death while being fully conscious.