Slaughterhouses in Wales required to install CCTV as new law comes into force
23rd May 2024
All Welsh slaughterhouses will need to install CCTV by 1st December as new regulations have been approved by the Senedd.
The Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (Wales) Regulations 2024 will require all slaughterhouses in Wales to have CCTV in areas where animals are unloaded, kept, handled, stunned, and killed.
Requirements to install and operate a CCTV system and keep CCTV footage and information will come into force on 1st June.
This will be followed by a six-month period when the Food Standards Agency will work with slaughterhouse operators to ensure they are compliant with the requirements, ahead of the regulations being enforced on 1st December.
CCTV has been compulsory in every abattoir in England since May 2018. Scotland announced similar plans the following year.
Animal welfare as key priority
However, CCTV does not replace direct oversight by slaughterhouse management or official vets, the lawmakers warn.
The new requirements are being introduced with the aim of improving the efficiency of monitoring and enforcement activity.
Cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said that animal welfare is a “key priority” for the government.
He added: “We want our farmed animals to have a good quality of life, and we take welfare at slaughterhouses very seriously.
“The network of slaughterhouses in Wales provide essential services to farmers, butchers, and consumers.
“They also provide skilled jobs and support local supply chains. Mandatory CCTV for all our slaughterhouses further supports consumer confidence that welfare standards are being delivered.”
A 12-week public consultation was published in November 2022 and closed for responses in February 2023.
A summary of the responses to the consultation was published in May 2023.
There were 16,000 responses to the consultation, and the overwhelming majority agreed that CCTV cameras should be installed in all approved slaughterhouses in Wales.
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