HSA Conference - 21 - 22 October 2025

Animal Welfare Beyond the Farm Gate: Latest developments in humane slaughter and transport of animals 

Location: Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum and online 

Save the date for our two-day, hybrid conference dedicated to advancing and promoting animal welfare during transport, slaughter and killing. The HSA Conference 2025 will bring together professionals, researchers, and advocates from around the world to discuss recent scientific and technological advances, and share information and experiences.  

What to expect:  

• Day One – Applied Focus: A programme focused on the latest developments in legislation and best practice techniques being used by industry. This day will feature both presentations by invited speakers and discussion sessions, covering a wide range of species and topic areas.  

• Day Two – Research Focus: A research-driven agenda exploring the latest scientific advancements and novel developments. Abstract submission for the second day is now open.  

• In-person: Join us in-person for networking and live discussion sessions. Attend both days or choose the day most relevant to you.
• Online: Join online from anywhere in the world for access to the full two-day programme

Call for abstracts

Alongside invited contributions we are seeking abstract submissions from researchers and others on the latest developments in humane slaughter, transport, and emergency killing of livestock species, as well as farmed and wild-caught fish and other sentient aquatic species. Selected abstracts will be presented as talks on the second day of the conference. We expect most talks to be around 15 minutes in length, but final details for each accepted talk will be confirmed upon acceptance.  

We welcome all abstracts addressing the welfare of food production animals during transport, marketing, and at the time of slaughter, as well as killing for welfare reasons or disease control.  

We are particularly interested in abstracts highlighting novel research or findings related to: 

• Alternatives to CO2 for humane slaughter of pigs 
  
• Improved slaughter methods for poultry 
• Novel stunning methods 
• High welfare catching and handling of poultry 
• Animal welfare during transport 

The organising committee will assess the scientific and animal welfare merits of each submission.  

Please ensure that where ethical approval for a study was required, you include details of the approval. 

Contributors are expected to register for the conference and present their work in person. The deadline for submission of abstracts is Monday 28 June 2025.

Submit an abstract here

Event timetable

Abstract submission opens: 15 April 2025
Abstract submissions deadline: 28 June 2025 
Registration opens:  1 May 2025 
Notification of abstract acceptance:  25 July 2025
Conference dates: 21-22 October 2025 

Further details, including registration information, will be available soon. For updates on this event and our other work sign up here. For any questions about this event, please contact events@hsa.org.uk.