Consultation launched on mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses in Wales
A consultation begins today, 14 November, on proposals to require CCTV in all slaughterhouses in Wales.
The Programme for Government commitment is included in the Animal Welfare Plan for Wales, which seeks to maintain and improve standards of welfare for all kept animals.
Most slaughterhouses in Wales already have CCTV.
This requirement would ensure all are covered, supporting consumer confidence welfare standards are being delivered.
Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said: “Animal welfare is a priority for the Welsh Government, and our ambition is for all farmed animals to have a good quality of life and to be free of suffering.
“We have committed to ensuring all slaughterhouses in Wales have CCTV, and I’m pleased to announce the consultation today.
“While the vast majority of slaughterhouses have CCTV in Wales, I want to ensure all animals have the same level of protection.”
The consultation will run for 12 weeks and is available on the Welsh Government website.
Currently in Wales, 95% of sheep are slaughtered in three premises, all of which have CCTV, 96% of cattle are slaughtered in three premises, all of which have CCTV, and 98% of poultry are slaughtered in three premises with CCTV.
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This has needed to be done decades ago. I have met a few slaughtermen and, believe me, they are not quite human or normal. Some delight in their job and think it comical to taunt animals before stunning them. I can only speak of the very few that I have met and hope that others are more sensitive to the feelings of very traumatised animals. It’s not very pretty.
I once spent ONE DAY (against my wishes) working in a chicken packing plant in Israel (back when they were a nearly civilised country) on a Kibbutz, packing live chickens for transport. It was worse for the chickens of course, but I was traumatised. Some enormous special needs kibbutznik who looked like his parents were father and daughter, seemed to delight in throwing the chickens into the packing cages from some distance. I lost my fricking mind and went for him, grabbed at the last minute by another volunteer who talked sense into me (From then on I was known… Read more »