Chinese Province to Slaughter Chickens More Humanely

Independent of any animal welfare law, Shandong is the first province in China to implement its own standards for the humane slaughter of poultry.  Shandong’s food quality authority has implemented suggestions made by the College of Food Science and Engineering at Qingdao Agricultural University that promote the humane slaughter and the safe processing of chickens.  The guidelines say slaughterhouses must avoid frightening or upsetting the birds in order to meet the natural needs of a chicken before and during the slaughter process. That includes no violence during transportation, which can only last three hours at most. Before being slaughtered, a chicken must now be outfitted with a soothing pad on its chest to calm it down, and must lose consciousness through techniques like gas inhalation.