The case for mandatory CCTV in Slaughterhouses

There is still more to do
Since May 2018, all slaughterhouses in England have been required by law to have CCTV installed. Further information about the technicalities of this can be viewed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cctv-in-slaughterhouses-rules-for-operators [External Link]

As this is a devolved matter, it is down to each country to pass legislation individually. The Scottish Parliament have made a commitment to introduce mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses, and it’s looking likely that legislation will be brought in 2021. These moves are positive, but the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly are yet to follow suit. We need to keep pushing for UK-wide legislation, independent monitoring and better enforcement.

Abuse is Rife

Our investigations have shown that the presence of cameras alone does not deter abuse and poor practice. Six of the slaughterhouses Animal Aid filmed – Farmers Fresh, Forge Farm Meats, Cheale Meats, Bowood Yorkshire Lamb, N Bramall & Son and Malik Food Group – already had cameras installed. In some cases, we placed our cameras right beside theirs, so we could see what they could see but, of course, it was our footage, not theirs, that was monitored and acted upon.

The abuse we discovered at Cheale Meats included animals burnt with cigarettes, a pig punched in the face, others kicked, beaten and dragged, and some goaded in the face and anus.

At Bowood we filmed sheep being picked up and smashed headfirst into solid structures. They were kicked in the face, and thrown by their fleeces, legs and ears. They were tormented and abused and, at this non-stun slaughterhouse, their throats were hacked at with a blunt knife while they were still fully conscious.

And at Malik, animals had their throats cut up to seven times while fully conscious, as the knife in this non-stun slaughterhouse was evidently not sharp enough for a clean cut. A worker also picked sheep up by their fleeces and threw them.

Since all these slaughterhouses had cameras, there is no reason why the abuses should not have been detected. Perhaps they were but the slaughterhouse management ignored them or failed to report them to the authorities (we know the advice from industry is to sack abusive slaughtermen rather than report them, which means they are free to get a job elsewhere and carry on their abuse). Or, perhaps, the cameras are ‘for show’ or to comply with the wishes of a supermarket but they are not properly monitored.

It is imperative that all slaughterhouse operators are compelled to film the handling, stunning and killing of animals, and are legally obliged to hand over the relevant footage to a truly independent body. Slaughterhouse operators have already shown that they are not sufficiently motivated to properly detect and deal with the abuses on their own premises. If they were, it would not have been up to Animal Aid to reveal that many are breaking animal welfare laws.

What law do we need in Wales and Northern Ireland?
We need a law that:

• • sets out where cameras are sited
• • insists they are well maintained
• • details for how long the footage must be kept
• • sets out who gets to see it and when
• • and has proportionate sanctions for those who refuse to comply

In a voluntary scheme, footage does not have to be kept, watched, handed over to anyone, and all abuses can be hushed up.

Legislation is essential to ensure that cameras are properly maintained and monitored, and infringements swiftly and robustly acted upon.

The welfare of animals at the time of slaughter is a devolved issue, and Animal Aid is working with devolved governments to encourage them to legislate for mandatory CCTV in their countries.

If you live in Wales or Northern Ireland, please write to the relevant minister to ask for mandatory CCTV in all slaughterhouses.