The Welfare of Poultry at Slaughter and Killing from The Perspective of Turkey's Accession to the European Union

After the entry into force the first legislation on the protection of animals during killing in the European Union in 1974, the Lisbon Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union introduced the recognition that animals are sentient beings. All member states have implemented the Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 from 1 January 2013 which takes an integrated approach to all slaughtering processes from the time animals arrived to slaughterhouses. Turkey which accession negotiations are conducting to the European Union also have to transfer the Council Regulation to national legislation. In this review, the poultry welfare standards defined by Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on unloading, lairage, restraint, shackling, stunning and bleeding were explained in detail. The European Union Guideline and other related national guidelines prepared to increase compliance with the provisions of the Regulation have been considered. In addition, Turkey's legislative alignment to the European Union' standards related to poultry welfare at the time of killing was assessed and within the same scope the national regulations governing the production of poultry meat have been examined and the provisions in line with European Union standards have been summarized