They’re Crying Out. Make Sure They’re Heard.

Every month in the UK, nearly a million pigs are lowered into gas chambers, five to seven at a time, in metal cages the industry calls ‘gondolas’. The CO₂ burns their eyes and nostrils, and they gasp and scream for up to five minutes before they lose consciousness.

The Government’s own expert advisers have called for this to end for more than 20 years. Now, for the first time, Defra has opened a public consultation on phasing this cruelty out, and it wants to hear from you.

But the Government’s proposed plan would give the industry three more years to keep gassing pigs with CO₂. We’re asking for two years at most, and the pig industry will be pushing for even longer. Three years means almost 30 million more pigs gassed, so we’re also calling for a pause on new pig farms and any increase in the number of pigs killed. 

Pigs need as many voices as possible on their side. The consultation closes on 21st December 2026.

We’ve made it simple. Follow our guide below, with ready-made answers you can copy and paste, or use our talking points to write your own.

Consultation Guidance

Thank you for being here!

This is one of those moments where public pressure can turn a proposal into real change. The Government is asking for views on ending CO₂ gassing of pigs, and your response today can influence what the final policy delivers and how quickly change happens.

Follow this guide and we’ll help you with suggested answers and tips on what to say.

Where is the consultation?

This button will take you to the (external) consultation webpage:

Who can respond?

This consultation covers the whole UK. Anyone can respond.

How long it will take?

We expect this consultation will take around 20–30 minutes to complete, and it will affect around 9.7 million pigs every year.

Time well spent, don’t you think?!

Do I need to be an expert?

Rest assured, you don’t need to be an expert in policy, slaughter methods, or pig farming. All you need to know is that your action today could help end one of the cruellest things pigs endure in the UK.

To see what these gas chambers look like and remember who you’re fighting for, visit our CO₂ gassing page.

What should I say?

For each question, we’ve written a suggested answer you can copy and paste straight into the consultation.

Can I write my own answers?

Yes!

Jump to our talking points. Even a few personal edits help make a real difference.

Key message to include where relevant:

• CO₂ causes pigs severe pain and fear before they lose consciousness.
• The Government’s own welfare advisers have recommended an ending to CO₂ gassing for more than 20 years.
• We’re calling for a UK-wide ban that protects every pig, with no exemptions and a transition of two years at most.
• Even argon, the likely replacement, can still cause suffering. That’s why we’re also asking for a pause on new pig farms and on any increase in the number of pigs farmed and killed, until there’s a method that reliably causes immediate unconsciousness without pain.

Prefer to Write your own Answers?

Your own voice is powerful. If you’d prefer to write your answers yourself, use these talking points as a guide. 

You can still use the same tick-box answers from the guide above.

Q9b: Why should CO₂ stunning be banned?

• CO₂ causes pigs severe pain before they lose consciousness. They struggle to breathe and can cry out in fear.
• The Government’s own welfare advisers have recommended ending this method, including CO₂ mixed with other gases.
• The ban should protect every pig, including those killed by smaller businesses.
• Effective enforcement is essential to make the protection work.

Q10b: Why is three years too long?

• The suffering caused by CO₂ stunning has been known for decades.
• Defra estimates that around 9.7 million pigs are subjected to this method in the UK each year.
• Support a maximum two-year transition, with earlier changes wherever they can be made safely.
• Ask for prompt legislation and clear requirements for slaughterhouses to show progress before the final deadline.

Q11: Barriers to switching

• Businesses may delay making changes and then use costs as a reason to request more time.
• A firm deadline is needed. Claims that businesses need longer should be backed by evidence and checked independently.
• Replacement equipment must be properly tested, and staff must receive adequate training.
• Pigs must be monitored throughout stunning, with immediate backup stunning when needed.
• Planning must protect pigs already on farms from overcrowding, prolonged waits and unnecessary journeys.

Q13b: Maintaining processing levels

• Maintaining the current number of pigs killed should not be a condition for ending CO₂ stunning.
• A planned reduction in the number of pigs bred and killed could help the change happen sooner.
• Pigs already on farms must be protected throughout the transition.

Q57: Costs and feasibility

• Defra’s assessment estimates that the benefits to society from improved welfare substantially outweigh the costs to businesses of switching to argon.
• Requests for a longer transition should be supported by evidence and checked independently.
• The Government should examine whether breeding and killing fewer pigs could make the transition easier and bring forward the end of CO₂ stunning.

Q58b: Imports

• Uncertainty about whether imports would increase should not delay the ban.
• Pigs killed overseas deserve the same protection. Support a ban on imports of products from pigs stunned with CO₂, including mixtures with other gases.
• Compulsory labels should identify the stunning method used, including on imported products, with checks to ensure accuracy.
• The Government should secure the arrangements needed to introduce and enforce these requirements, including under its trade arrangements with the EU.
• Imports should be monitored so the reform does not shift the same suffering overseas.

Q59b: Exports

• It’s unclear whether exports would increase. The ban should go ahead regardless of any commercial benefit overseas.
• Claims about better welfare must be supported by rules that are enforced.
• Public reports should show how often stunning fails at each slaughterhouse and what action follows breaches of the rules.

Q61: Impact on producers and consumers

• Defra expects a switch to argon to have very little effect on consumer prices.
• Protecting pigs from painful stunning should be a legal minimum, regardless of whether consumers choose more expensive products.
• Workers need proper training as methods change.
• Any public funding should deliver verified welfare improvements and must not fund an increase in the number of pigs bred and killed.
• Support a planned reduction in pig farming, alongside affordable and accessible plant-based foods.

Q62: Further comments

• Support a UK-wide ban within two years at most, without exemptions for smaller businesses.
• No new or expanded CO₂ stunning systems should be permitted during the transition.
• Call for a pause on new pig farms and on increases in the number of pigs farmed and killed. This should continue beyond the switch to argon.
• The pause should remain until independently tested methods reliably cause immediate unconsciousness without pain in commercial slaughterhouses, and minimise distress from handling and restraint.
• Facilities using those methods must already be operating and available to the pigs concerned.
• Work needed to replace CO₂ equipment or improve conditions for pigs already on farms should still be allowed.
• Argon can reduce suffering, but welfare concerns remain and progress must continue.
• Inspections should assess what happens to pigs in practice, with findings made public.
• Pigs killed during the transition deserve the same concern as those the eventual ban will protect. Their suffering makes prompt action necessary.

Completed the Consultation?

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