Registration open

Registration is now open for the HSA Conference to be held on 20 & 21 October 2026 at The Catalyst, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. We are offering both in person and online registration
Register now
Call for Abstracts

The Humane Slaughter Association is now welcoming abstract submissions for our 2026 conference.

This two day conference will explore the latest developments in humane slaughter and transport of animals.
Find out more
Captive-bolt training courses

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) will be holding a captive-bolt training course at The Boxmoor Trust Centre (London Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 2RE) on 23 April
Read more

Registration open

Registration is now open for the HSA Conference to be held on 20 & 21 October 2026 at The Catalyst, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. We are offering both in person and online registration

Register now

Call for Abstracts

The Humane Slaughter Association is now welcoming abstract submissions for our 2026 conference.

This two day conference will explore the latest developments in humane slaughter and transport of animals.

Find out more

Captive-bolt training courses

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) will be holding a captive-bolt training course at The Boxmoor Trust Centre (London Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 2RE) on 23 April

The Humane Slaughter Association

The HSA is an independent registered charity. It is the only UK charity concerned exclusively in promoting the humane treatment of all food animals worldwide, including cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish and minority species such as deer, in markets, during transport, at slaughter, and killing for welfare reasons and disease control.

It works through research, education, training and technical advances to bring real, practical and lasting improvements in food animal welfare.

Please support the HSA

HSA’s work relies on your support. Please help us to continue our vital work by clicking on the boxes below and making a donation.

£20 will help us to fund essential research aimed at improving animal welfare beyond the farm gate

£50 enables us to provide hands on education in humane methods of handling and slaughter to improve animal welfare

You can view an introduction to the HSA and its work below.

Below you can view a video that provides information about the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter and explains how consumers can make choices to improve finfish welfare. To view this video in other languages, please see HSA Publications webpage

Welfare at Slaughter

Welfare during Transport

Training and Education

Support the HSA Today

Support the work of the HSA to
improve the welfare of food animals around the world.

Make a Donation

Become a Member

Recent News & Updates

The HSA welcomes Defra's new welfare reforms for pigs, farmed fish and crustaceans at slaughter

We are delighted to see that Defra's new Animal Welfare Strategy for England includes commitments to ban high-concentration CO₂ for stunning pigs and to introduce specific, enforceable legislation to protect the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter. We are also pleased to see commitments to improve the welfare of decapod crustaceans at slaughter, including clarification that live boiling of crabs and lobsters is not acceptable. All of these measures are vital reforms that will prevent millions of animals each year from experiencing avoidable pain and distress at the time of slaughter.

HSA welcomes recommendation from the UK Animal Welfare Committee calling for a ban on the use of CO2 to stun pigs

We are delighted to see a strong recommendation from the UK Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) which calls for a ban on the use of CO₂ to stun pigs. The report, to which we contributed evidence, echoes our calls for a ban with a phase-out period that should be as short as possible and within five years. The evidence has long been clear that CO₂ is not a humane method of slaughter for pigs, and there is now clear evidence that alternatives are both more humane and practical.

HSA supports national study into poultry catching and handling

The HSA is contributing expertise to a major new study that aims to improve the welfare of poultry during catching and handling on farms throughout Britain.

Humane Slaughter Association

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