Positive News.
There can be no ‘good news’ when it involves facilities that kill animals; but after many years of campaigning, UK residents are now going to see CCTV installed in all UK slaughterhouses as a requirement of law.
The legislation came into force on 4/5/18, and premises that do not already have CCTV now installed will have until November to comply. We at SAV are sure that this new legislation will prevent currently unseen abuses of animals during their final minutes of life at the slaughterhouse.
We also welcome the fact that if veterinarians using the CCTV footage find welfare breaches, a slaughterhouse can be given a welfare enforcement notice, have its staff’s licences suspended or revoked, or be referred for a criminal investigation.
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Legislation requiring mandatory CCTV in all slaughterhouses in England comes into force today (4/5/18). Premises will have until 5 November to fully comply.
We hope the presence of CCTV will help stop the horrendous and illegal additional abuses revealed time and again by our extensive investigations. It is terrible enough that animals should be at the slaughterhouse at all, without being subjected to being kicked, punched, beaten and burnt with cigarettes to name but a few awful issues we uncovered. Further information is available on the government website.
We welcome this positive news on a long-fought campaign. But we will continue to encourage people to go vegan, since this is the best way to protect farmed animals. If you aren’t already vegan please sign up to our Summer Vegan Pledge today!
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cctv-to-be-introduced-in-all-slaughterhouses-in-england-in-2018
CCTV to be introduced in all slaughterhouses in England in 2018
Defra will take forward plans following extremely positive reaction from the industry, welfare groups and the public
A summary of responses published shows that of almost 4,000 respondents, more than 99% were supportive of the plans.
https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/cctv-slaughterhouses-legislation-parliament-may
Legislation to make CCTV cameras mandatory in slaughterhouses in England to safeguard animal welfare has been laid in Parliament by Environment Secretary Michael Gove.
The legislation will come into effect from May 2018, once it passes through Parliament, at which point businesses will have six months to comply.
Access
Under the proposals, Official Veterinarians [OVs] from the Food Standards Agency [FSA] will be given unfettered access to the last 90 days of footage.
It is believed this will help them to ‘monitor and enforce animal welfare standards’.
If OVs find welfare breaches, a slaughterhouse can be given a welfare enforcement notice, have its staff’s licences suspended or revoked, or be referred for a criminal investigation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40895049
The government has said it plans to increase standards for farm animals and domestic pets in England by updating these statutory animal welfare codes.
Breaches would result in a welfare enforcement notice, the suspending or revoking of staff licences or referral for a criminal investigation.
Unrestricted footage
FSA chairwoman Heather Hancock said the watchdog supported compulsory CCTV in abattoirs, since voluntary adoption by slaughterhouses had reached a “plateau”.
She said: “We look forward to the introduction of a comprehensive requirement for using, accessing and retaining footage from CCTV in abattoirs.
“We see CCTV as an invaluable management tool for business owners to help with compliance with official controls and to improve animal welfare standards across the industry.”
British Veterinary Association (BVA) president Gudrun Ravetz said the mandatory CCTV in all areas of slaughterhouses was “essential” to safeguarding animal welfare.
“We are particularly pleased to see a commitment to official veterinarians having unrestricted access to footage, which the BVA has been calling for,” he said.
“Vets’ independence and unique qualifications help ensure that the UK will continue to have the highest standards of animal health, welfare and food safety.”
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