Supporting welfare, safety, and smarter operations

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a central role in the modern pig and poultry processing industry.  

• It can be used for controlled-atmosphere stunning or emergency disease control. 

• Keeping CO2 levels within the right range is essential for animal welfare, regulatory compliance, and smooth plant operations.  

An essential part of maintaining the right level of CO2 relies on gas detection equipment to ensure the right levels of CO2 are administered, and Edinburgh Sensors is here to help. 

CO2 stunning 

CO2 stunning is widely used across the pig and poultry industries as a humane way to render animals unconscious before slaughter. When managed correctly, it reduces stress, improves safety, and supports a high-throughput process. For pigs and poultry, the stunning process is handled differently: 

1. For pigs: Pigs are lowered into chambers filled with high concentrations of CO2. Since CO2 is heavier than air, it forms a stable atmosphere that induces unconsciousness quickly. This method allows pigs to stay in small social groups, reducing the stress on the animal.  
2. For poultry: Chickens remain in their transport crates and move through multi-stage CO2 tunnels. The gas concentrations gradually rise, meaning birds lose consciousness before they are shackled. This approach significantly reduces flapping, bruising, and operator risk. 

This humane approach only works when gas levels are tightly controlled, to ensure minimal distress. Regulations are in place, such as WASK 95: which states that you are required to have continuous monitoring of CO2 levels to ensure humane culling of the animal. 

Why monitoring is essential

The main goal of CO2 stunning is to ensure the most humane death as possible for the animal, and this can only be ensured when gas levels are tightly controlled. The industry continuous to rely on this culling method to ensure: 

• Better welfare outcomes: When CO2 systems are properly managed, they reduce the need for physical restraint and minimize handling stress. 

• Efficient, high-capacity processing: CO2 systems support batch stunning, making them ideal for large plants where thousands of animals are processed each hour, helping maintain consistent workflow. 

• Disease control: During outbreaks such as the avian flu, CO2 is also used for humane biosecure depopulation. This helps limit disease spread while ensuring rapid, welfare-focused culling. 

• Better quality product: Lower stress levels during handling and stunning can lead to fewer stress related accidents, which supports better quality meat. 

How Edinburgh Sensors can support you

Accurate CO₂ monitoring is the backbone of safe, humane, and compliant stunning systems. We  offer a range of high‑performance gas detection solutions designed to thrive in demanding environments whilst providing you with accurate and reliable gas readings.  

Both the Guardian and Gascard real-time monitors offer highly accurate sensing capability for CO2 with real-time data logging. 

Guardian NG Series: Our stand-alone unit 

A robust, wall-mounted monitor built for continuous CO2 measurements for the safe and humane culling of pigs and poultry. Our Guardian provides: 

• Wide measurement ranges from 0-500ppm to 0-100% CO2 

• Fast response times for real-time control 

• Fully programmable alarms to meet regulatory requirements 
• Clear display for instant visibility of gas readings 

Gascard NG Series: Our OEM solution designed for integration 

Our versatile OEM sensor is ideal for integrating into your systems, for fast and reliable gas monitoring. Our Gascard provides: 

• Wide measurement ranges from 0-500ppm to 0-100% CO2 

• Customisable solution to fit your needs 

• Multiple communication options 

• Fast response times  

Find out more:

For further information on our range of gas sensors or to find out how we can help with your carbon dioxide stunning requirements, please contact us. We’d be happy to be of assistance.