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Comment by kulahan | Hacker News Reader

Most animals these days are killed as efficiently as possible - a quick stun for chickens, a bolt through the skull for cows, etc.

The problem with commercial meat production is pretty much always the mega-farms that have them in horrible conditions during life. It's just cheaper, easier, and results in tastier meat to quickly perform the slaughter.

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Note that "religious meat" can be cruel for certain animals as well. Chickens are still a quick stun, IIRC, but cows are brutalized - they basically slowly drown in their own blood, because of the way they are slaughtered to be Halal.

And then companies try to push for more Halal meat, because there are fewer rules to account for, when it comes to Halal (great way for them to skirt the law, legally). The chicken supposedly tastes better, though.

The only reason it tastes better is because its not factory farm sourced in the same way and youre closer to the slaughter date when consuming it. Massive suppliers control the entire chain including slaughter. Halal suppliers or live chicken suppliers tend to be smaller operations.

Should be banned. Too bad European countries are bending over backwards to accommodate just as backwards beliefs.

Hogs are routinely slaughtered by asphyxiation in a room pumped full of co2. By comparison the dolphins are getting off easy.

Switching the gas to nitrogen would result in a relatively peaceful passing by comparison. Shame.

Handling nitrogen is more dangerous than CO2 for the same reason it is more humane for the animals; you don’t notice you’re being asphyxiated. Not that it is impossible or even particularly difficult to handle nitrogen safely, but it would incur a cost (training, equipment, ...), and inevitably result in accidents when these costs are skimped on.

Unless legislation changes, it's simply better business to let the animals suffer.

You dont need pure no2 for pigs. You can mix in a substance that makes it stink to high heavens so it is safer.

Alas the rest is true re costs being higher and legislation changes being required to force an industry shift.

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