News • Sustainable Farming Campaign
CCTV to be mandatory in English slaughterhouses
Defra has announced two important consultations on animal welfare -- one proposing to install CCTV cameras in abattoirs in England, the other updating statutory Codes of Practice on animal welfare, starting with chickens bred for meat.
Under the new plans for CCTV, footage would be accessible to the Food Standards Agency’s Official Veterinarians, who enforce animal welfare standards in the slaughterhouse. British Veterinary Association (BVA) President Gudrun Ravetz welcomed the plans: 'We are particularly pleased to see a commitment to Official Veterinarians having unrestricted access to footage, which BVA has been calling for'.
The Government has also said it will raise standards for farm animals and domestic pets by modernising statutory animal welfare codes to reflect developments in medicine, technology and research. The codes will remain enshrined in law, with the first to be updated covering chickens bred for meat. Codes on laying hens, pigs, dogs, cats and horses are expected to be updated over the next year.
The Government has also said it will raise standards for farm animals and domestic pets by modernising statutory animal welfare codes to reflect developments in medicine, technology and research. The codes will remain enshrined in law, with the first to be updated covering chickens bred for meat. Codes on laying hens, pigs, dogs, cats and horses are expected to be updated over the next year.
The consultation on CCTV in slaughterhouses (here) is open until 21 September, while the consultation on the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Meat Chickens and Meat Breeding Chickens (here) runs until 6 October. Defra's announcement is here.
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Published Sunday 27 August 2017
Sustainable Farming Campaign: Sustain encourages integration of sustainable food and farming into local, regional and national government policies.
