Perdue Farms has implemented a controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) system at its Milford, Delaware, processing facility as part of a move toward more humane methods of slaughter. The Milton facility is the country’s largest organic poultry plant, processing 1.2 million chickens per week.
CAS is seen by many animal welfare groups as a more humane alternative to rendering chickens unconscious before slaughter. Unlike the common electric shock method, whereby birds are shackled upside down while still conscious before being passed through an electrified water bath, CAS modifies the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air chickens breathe, ensuring that birds are rendered unconscious before being shackled. CAS is not only easier on birds, but also on plant workers, who do not need to handle conscious birds with this method.
“Since implementing the CAS system, we’re seeing measurable poultry welfare improvements throughout the process, as well as improvements in product quality,” says Bruce Stewart-Brown, DVM, Senior Vice President of Food Safety, Quality and Live Production. “The difference is night and day.”
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