Recent Press Releases

For press enquiries contact Luisa Teear or Carly Halliday: media@hsa.org.uk

View or download the latest press releases from the HSA

29 May 2025 New Policy Roadmap Outlines Path to More Humane Slaughter Practices for Wild-Caught Finfish

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has today launched a landmark report, Humane Slaughter of Wild-Caught Fish: A Roadmap for Industry and Policymakers, alongside a peer-reviewed scientific paper published in the journal Animal Welfare. Together, these publications address one of the world’s most urgent and under-recognised animal welfare issues: the suffering of over 1 trillion wild-caught finfish slaughtered each year without humane stunning.

22 July 2024 Registration opens for the HSA’s one-day seminar: Animal Welfare During Transport and Slaughter – Hot Topics 2024

Registration has now opened for the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA)’s one-day seminar: Animal Welfare During Transport and Slaughter – Hot Topics 2024. The seminar, which is aimed at all stakeholders associated with the meat and livestock industry, will be held on Saturday 26 October 2024 at Norton House Hotel, Edinburgh, UK.

15 May 2024 Study funded by HSA and DEFRA finds Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning is not a humane alternative to Carbon Dioxide for stunning pigs. Alternatives must now be urgently implemented

The Humane Slaughter Association’s position regarding the slaughter of all animals is that they should be killed as humanely as possible with every reasonable effort made to reduce pain, suffering and distress to an absolute minimum.

8 June 2023 Registration open for the HSA’s one-day seminar: Animal Welfare at Slaughter and Killing – Hot Topics 2023

Registration has now opened for the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA)’s one-day seminar: Animal Welfare at Slaughter and Killing – Hot Topics 2023. The seminar, which is aimed at the meat and livestock industry, will be held on Wednesday 18 October 2023 at The Arden Hotel & Leisure Club, Solihull, UK.

5 May 2022 HSA International Conference programme goes live

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has announced the full programme for their 2022 international conference: Livestock Welfare during Transport, Marketing and Slaughter. The conference will take place on 30th June and 1st July 2022 at The Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, UK. It is the first such event that the HSA has hosted in six years.

5 April 2022 Winner of the Humane Slaughter Award 2022 announced

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has announced the winner of its Humane Slaughter Award. Dr Mette S. Herskin, a Senior Researcher in the Department of Animal Science at Aarhus University, Denmark, is the 2022 recipient of the award.

29 March 2022 HSA technical guidance updated

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has updated its technical guidance for the on-farm humane killing of neonate pigs, goats and sheep.

The updated guidance describes the use of mechanical, non-penetrating captive-bolt devices for the humane killing of neonate pigs, goats and sheep within certain specified parameters. The changes have been made following The Protection of Animals at the Time of Killing (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022 coming into force in February 2022 and include details of the animals on which these devices can be used as a killing method, and the minimum kinetic energy that the devices must deliver for each of the species covered.

23 July 2021 HSA input into Red Tractor’s consultation helps to deliver changes to pig standards

The Humane Slaughter Association was one of a number of key stakeholders to respond to a Review of Standards consultation led by Red Tractor earlier this year. As a result of the consultation, the Red Tractor Board has agreed new and revised farm standards for pig welfare, including new training requirements covering the handling of pigs and the use of veterinary medicines. These will come into effect from 1st November this year.

26 March 2021 HSA webinar to address issues and potential solutions related to the decline in small and medium sized abattoirs. Slaughter of Livestock – keeping it close to home

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) is holding a free-to-attend webinar during the afternoon of Wednesday 28th April.

The webinar will highlight the current decline in the network of small- to medium-sized, multi-species abattoirs and discuss how a reliable supply of locally-produced meat can be achieved practically, while maintaining and improving high standards of animal welfare.

28 October 2020 Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) invites applications for its 2021 Humane Slaughter Award

Nominations are now open for the Humane Slaughter Association’s prestigious 2021 Humane Slaughter Award for significant advances in the humane treatment of farmed livestock during transport, marketing and slaughter.

8 October 2020 The Humane Slaughter Association publishes free animal welfare advice for small-scale and/or seasonal poultry producers and processors

In response to numerous enquiries from existing and prospective producers, the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has produced new, updated guidance aimed at small-scale and/or seasonal poultry producers and processors.

7 September 2020 HSA marks Remember a Charity week

This week is Remember A Charity Week (7-13 September) and the Humane Slaughter Association is one of over 200 charities across the country taking part.

28 August 2020 HSA guides and best practice highlighted by BVA as part of new policy document

A comprehensive new policy document that makes 67 recommendations to the Government about improving the welfare of animals at slaughter has just been published by the British Veterinary Association (BVA).

28 July 2020 The HSA releases specialist new training material for the on-farm killing of neonate pigs, goats and sheep

As part of its work to promote the highest standards of welfare for food animals during transport, marketing and slaughter, the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA), has published a new training guide for the emergency, humane killing of neonate pigs, goats and sheep on-farm. This publication is the culmination of research funded by Defra and carried out by the University of Bristol in collaboration with the HSA

24 July 2020 The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) announces the award of £166,000 to explore the possibility of improving the welfare of wild-caught fish at slaughter

As part of its ongoing support to encourage the development and adoption of humane slaughter methods for fish, the HSA has just announced further grant funding of £166,000 to investigate the potential for improving the welfare at slaughter of fish caught in the wild.

10 June 2020 Small abattoirs have a big part to play in animal welfare

A new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) on small abattoirs published this week highlights the decline of licensed abattoirs in the UK since the 1930s and the subsequent impact on animal welfare. The HSA was one of the stakeholders taking part in the APGAW inquiry, providing valuable input and independent advice on animal welfare matters within its remit, which is reflected in the report.

27 May 2020 Dr Birte Nielsen joins the team at the HSA

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Birte L Nielsen as Assistant Scientific Director of both the HSA and its sister charity, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW). Birte will join the charities in September.

19 March 2020 Statement from HSA CEO Huw Golledge

In these extraordinary times the HSA will be trying our best to continue supporting the welfare of animals during marketing, transport and at the time of slaughter. We are confident that we can continue our activities in these difficult times.

Read more

2 March 2020 The Humane Slaughter Association awards £1.93 million for research and development to improve the welfare of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods at slaughter

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has just announced its largest ever programme of research in an attempt to find more humane ways of slaughtering these animals in future.

16 December 2019 HSA announces new Chief Executive

Following the retirement of Dr Robert Hubrecht at the end of 2019, The Humane Slaughter Association is delighted to announce it has appointed Dr Huw Golledge BSc PhD as the new Chief Executive of both the HSA and its sister charity, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW).

22 November 2019 The Humane Slaughter Association publishes free animal welfare advice for small-scale and/or seasonal poultry producers and processors

In response to numerous enquiries from existing and prospective producers, the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has produced new guidance aimed at small-scale and/or seasonal poultry producers and processors.

13 November 2019 The Humane Slaughter Association announces further funding to encourage the development and adoption of humane slaughter methods for fish caught in the wild

Up to £200,000 available to support a systematic review and feasibility study into stunning or killing of wild-caught fish in commercial fisheries

Billions of fish are caught for food every year, the vast majority of these fish are not stunned before killing and there is good evidence that many wild-caught fish may experience significant suffering between the time they are captured and their death.

11 November 2019 The Humane Slaughter Association invites applications for funding through its awards and scholarships

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) is inviting applications for this year’s Student/Trainee Dorothy Sidley Memorial Scholarships.

The Scholarships, which were established in 1986 as a memorial to the late Miss Dorothy Sidley, General Secretary to the HSA for 48 years, provide funding to enable students or trainees in the industry to carry out a project which is clearly aimed at improving the welfare of food animals during marketing, transport and slaughter.

30 October 2019 The Humane Slaughter Association seeks to recognise significant advances in the welfare of livestock through its 2020 Humane Slaughter Award

Nominations for the Humane Slaughter Association’s (HSA) prestigious 2020 Humane Slaughter Award are now open.

Around the world millions of animals are transported, marketed and slaughtered every day to provide food and other resources for human benefit. Since 2010 the HSA has honoured the achievements of an individual or organisation whose work has resulted in significant advances in the welfare of farmed livestock during transport, marketing and slaughter.

9 October 2019 Humane Slaughter Association recognizes Glasgow scientist for her work to improve the welfare of farm animals

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has announced that Dr Dorothy McKeegan from the University of Glasgow has been awarded the 2019 Humane Slaughter Award for her groundbreaking research into the welfare impacts of controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) and her outstanding and sustained contribution to protecting animal welfare at slaughter or killing.

9 September 2019 HSA marks the 10th Remember a Charity week

Now in its 10th year, this week is Remember A Charity Week (9-15 September) and the Humane Slaughter Association is proud to be joining over 200 charities across the country to celebrate all the amazing individuals who support vital services by leaving a gift to charity in their Will.

10 April 2019 New video providing information on the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter and consumer choices is translated into nine additional languages

Globally, we humans are eating more farmed fish than any other type of mammal or bird slaughtered for human consumption. The numbers amount to billions and, world-wide, many of these fish are not humanely stunned before slaughter.

27 March 2019 HSA seminar to address animal welfare at slaughter

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) is holding a one-day seminar for the meat and livestock industry on Wednesday 9^th October 2019 entitled Animal Welfare at Slaughter – Hot Topics 2019.

12 March 2019 HSA awards grant for a study to establish a framework for permitting “demonstration of life” to Halal certification bodies for use within UK abattoirs

The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has awarded a grant to Dr Claire White of the University of Bristol to allow her to travel to New Zealand to research and develop a better understanding of their practices and models relating to stunned Halal slaughter. |