September 2025, Alberta, Canada – Earlier this month, I had the privilege of travelling to Sunworks Farm in Armena, Alberta, Canada, alongside my colleague Rodger James, Chief Design Engineer at TechnoCatch.
Our goal was to see, first-hand, how the LAPS (Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning) system operates within a fully organic, high-welfare farming model.
For Rodger, with many years of engineering experience in poultry processing and as one of the designers of LAPS, this was an opportunity to observe the system in action at scale and see how it integrates into day-to-day operations.
For me, it was something entirely different — it was my very first look at live bird processing. Experiencing the whole journey, from the farm to the stunning process, gave me invaluable insight into the care and attention the team at Sunworks Farm puts into both animal welfare and food quality. What we witnessed together was inspiring, eye-opening, and for me, deeply educational.
A Farm Built on Care & Attention
Sunworks Farm, run by Ron and Sheila Hamilton since the 1990s, occupies about 1,000 acres, and has long been rooted in the principles of organic, humane, and sustainable agriculture. Sunworks Farm itself emphasises values like ethical/humane treatment of animals, regenerative land stewardship, and holistic agriculture.
During the visit, there was a palpable sense that every detail is considered:
• Animals are raised with plenty of space, access to pasture, fresh air, green grass, and sunshine.
• Their process emphasises transparency: from how chicks are brought in — less than 12 hours old — to how they are reared in clean barns with natural light and room to roam.
• Their commitment to “fresh, local, organic, humanely raised meats” is not just words: the entire operation is structured to support those values.
Some of the key takeaways:
The way birds are handled: Birds are transported in modules/drawers, and remain in those drawers throughout the stunning process. No live shackling, no stress of forced handling at that point.
The stunning process itself: LAPS works by gradually reducing atmospheric pressure in a controlled chamber. Birds lose consciousness with minimal distress, and there is no exposure to high concentrations of CO₂ as there is in many gas-based systems.
Operational simplicity: Maintenance involves a short list of core components — filters, basic mechanical/electrical checks, etc. It’s not overly complex, and reliability is high when kept up-to-date.
Welfare + product quality: The calm stunning process leads to reduced carcass damage, more consistent yield — confirming what the science behind LAPS has shown: that this stunning method improves welfare without sacrificing product integrity.
Why It Matters: Connecting Ethics, Consumers & Retailers
For us, the visit reinforced a crucial point: humane systems like LAPS aren’t just technical upgrades — they are part of a broader narrative that matters deeply to consumers. When people buy organic or Certified Humane products, they’re buying more than taste; they’re buying transparency, ethics, and peace of mind.
At Sunworks, the use of LAPS gives tangible proof that the farm’s care for animals continues through the processing stage. For retailers and consumer-facing brands, this kind of end-to-end transparency is increasingly expected and builds trust in a way that simple labels alone cannot.
View the Full Case Study & Interview
We have prepared:
A PDF case study outlining the detailed findings from our visit: operations, welfare, efficiencies, and how LAPS fits into Sunworks’ organic model.
An in-depth interview with Ron Hamilton that traces the farm’s history, decisions, challenges, and the values that drive their work.
You can download both here: [Link to Case Study PDF] | [Link to Interview Page]
About Sunworks Farm & LAPS
Sunworks Farm is certified organic and Certified Humane®, producing poultry, beef, pork, eggs, and deli items. The Hamiltons emphasise holistic agriculture, raising animals with pasture access, moving pigs to fresh pasture, feeding organic hay, and ensuring free-choice grain, among other standards.
LAPS (Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning) is a humane stunning system for poultry that:
• Allows birds to remain in transport modules/drawers throughout the stunning process (no live shackling)
• Eliminates the need for high CO₂ or other gas exposures during stunning
• Requires only modest maintenance (filters, core component checks), offering welfare and operational benefits.
Looking Ahead
Our visit to Sunworks underscores what is possible when ethical philosophy meets operational execution. As consumer demand for higher welfare, organic, sustainable meat continues to grow, operations like those at Sunworks Farm show the way forward: combining care, transparency, and innovation.
We hope that this article, case study, and the interview serve not just as an example but as an invitation to retailers, farmers, policymakers, and consumers to imagine and support a more humane food system, from the soil to the plate.
To find out more about LAPS, please call us on +44 (0)1379 872800.
Andrew Long is the Marketing Manager at Wrightfield LAPS.
Andrew is responsible for the Marketing output, which includes digital and traditional media, video, PR, advertising and content management. If you would like to see key research data, scientific articles, approvals or any other information relating to the LAPS system, please get in touch with him on +44 (0)1379 872800.
If you would like to discuss ways to incorporate the LAPS system into your process, please contact us. We are always happy to discuss your bespoke requirements.