Slaughterhouse CCTV law laid before parliament
“We commend the Government’s commitment to provide Official Veterinarians with unrestricted access to the footage."
New legislation making CCTV cameras mandatory in slaughterhouses has been laid before parliament today (23 February).
Under the proposals, official veterinarians (OVs) will have unfettered access to the last 90 days of footage, to help them monitor and enforce animal welfare standards.
The legislation will come into force in England from May 2018, once it has passed through parliament, and businesses will have six months to comply.
BVA president John Fishwick said mandatory CCTV in all areas of the slaughterhouse offers an “essential tool in fostering a culture of compassion that could help safeguard animal welfare”.
He added: “We commend the Government’s commitment to provide Official Veterinarians with unrestricted access to the footage, which the veterinary profession has long been campaigning for.
“It is vets’ independence and unique qualifications that help ensure the UK will continue to have the highest standards of animal health, welfare and food safety post-Brexit.”
BVA and the Veterinary Public Health Association have long campaigned for mandatory CCTV in all areas of the slaughterhouse that animals are kept, as well as giving OVs full and unrestricted access to CCTV footage.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
