Pigs are the fourth most commonly slaughtered species used for food, after fish, chickens, and ducks. In 2022, an estimated 1.49 billion pigs were slaughtered globally. Within the UK for example, more than 11.4 million pigs, sows, and boars (hereafter, pigs) were slaughtered in UK slaughterhouses in 2022. By late 2024 this equated to nearly a million pigs monthly, or nearly a quarter of a million weekly. In 2023, there were 84 slaughterhouses accepting pigs in the UK, with 10 of these specializing in pigs insofar as 95% or more of the animals slaughtered were pigs.
Mace JL & Knight A (2025). Pig welfare and ethical considerations during abattoir stunning: CO2 vs. alternative methods such as argon gas. Front. Vet. Sci. 12:1542798. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1542798.