RSPCA welcomes growing support for CCTV in slaughterhouses
On 3 February the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) released an Opinion recommending that slaughterhouses install CCTV.
This coincides with the release of footage that allegedly shows acts of animal abuse at a slaughterhouse in Yorkshire.
“The RSPCA submitted information that contributed to the report and we welcome the clear message of support for CCTV, although it is disappointing that it stopped short of urging the introduction into legislation of mandatory CCTV in abattoirs,” said Dr Julia Wrathall, head of the RSPCA’s farm animal science department.
“We firmly believe CCTV in slaughterhouses can be a valuable tool to help improve animal welfare. This is why it is already a requirement within the RSPCA farm animal welfare standards, meaning that all abattoirs which are members of the Society’s Freedom Food scheme must install and use CCTV cameras throughout their premises" she added.
FAWC’s recommendations include:
? All slaughterhouses should install CCTV in all areas where live animals are kept and where animals are stunned and killed
? All assurance schemes, food retailers and others in the food chain should require that CCTV be installed in the slaughterhouses associated with them
? CCTV footage should be retained by the slaughterhouse for a period of at least three months and be made available to authorised officers
The RSPCA strongly believes the public has a right to expect all farmed animals have as painless and humane an end to their lives as possible and that the issue of farm animal welfare is of huge importance to its supporters and the general public.
Notes to editors
? Further evidence that the issue of animal welfare at slaughter is becoming increasingly important to the public comes from the fact that a government e-petition calling for compulsory CCTV in all slaughterhouses has been signed by over 102,000 people and MP for Crawley Henry Smith led a debate in Commons on the subject – also on 3 February
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