Foreward

Since FAWC last considered the welfare of farmed animals at slaughter in the mid 1980’s, there have been major changes in the structure of farming but perhaps even more so in the structure of the slaughter industry.

The decline in the number of slaughterhouses noted in our 1985 report has continued. The year 1995 saw the introduction of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (commonly known as WASK) with, at the same time, the creation of the Meat Hygiene Service and the requirement for an Official Veterinary Surgeon (OVS) to be present in all slaughterhouses.

We have seen new technologies introduced for stunning and killing and much new research that has advanced our understanding of animal welfare during the slaughter process. Likewise, much has been learned in recent years about design features for slaughterhouses that can have great benefit for the welfare of the animals being handled and processed.

Species that were not farmed in large numbers in the 1980’s, such as deer, ostrich and wild boar, are now being produced for human consumption and deserve special consideration to assure their welfare at slaughter.

The recent outbreaks of exotic diseases in the UK (Classical Swine Fever in 2000 and Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001) have highlighted the welfare problems involved in slaughtering large numbers of animals over short periods outside the controlled environment of the slaughterhouse. In addition, consumers rightly expect safe meat in the face of a number of zoonotic diseases, such as BSE and E.coli 0157. However, the achievement of these high safety standards must not be at the expense of welfare.

All these issues and many more are addressed in this report and we make a number of significant recommendations. These include the phasing out of the use of aversive gases as a means of stunning pigs, the use of improvement notices as enforcement sanctions, restriction on the presentation of horned cattle at slaughterhouses, the need for a system of approval for slaughter equipment and the need for periodic re-assessment of the competence of those holding slaughter licences.

Some of our recommendations can be adopted simply by changes to working practices. Others will require changes to the legislation. In each case we have tried to make it clear whose responsibility we believe it is to take the recommended action and what specifically needs to be done.

We recognise there may be strong reactions to our recommendations with regard to slaughter of animals without pre-stunning both from the religious groups affected and from the wider animal welfare community. Our recommendations are based upon our concern for the welfare of the animals involved. We make no moral judgement. I sincerely hope that attention is not drawn away from the overall value of the report and the many significant recommendations which we make for the benefit of all animals which are slaughtered for human consumption.

Dr Judy MacArthur Clark
Chairwoman of FAWC