Mandatory use of CCTV in all Slaughterhouses approved

The Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (Wales) Regulations 2024 will require CCTV cameras to be installed in all slaughterhouses in areas where live animals are unloaded, kept, handled, stunned, and killed.

This is a Programme for Government commitment and 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 ensures all are covered, supporting consumer confidence that welfare standards are being delivered.

Requirements to install and operate a CCTV system and keep CCTV footage and information will come into force on 1 June.

This gives a six-month period where the Food Standards Agency will work with slaughterhouse operators to ensure they are compliant with the requirements, ahead of the Regulations being enforced on 1 December.

CCTV does not replace direct oversight by slaughterhouse management or Official Veterinarians, it can help improve the efficiency of monitoring and enforcement activity.

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: “Animal welfare is a key priority for this Government, 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 twelve-week public consultation was published on 14 November 2022 and closed for responses on 6 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 CCTV cameras should be installed in all approved slaughterhouses in Wales.

Last May, the Welsh Government confirmed it would develop regulations following a relevant consultation and a lengthy campaign from RSPCA Cymru.

The RSPCA believes compulsory CCTV will help ensure welfare standards, provide reassurances to the public and act as a useful training tool for staff.

RSPCA Cymru’s senior public affairs manager, Billie-Jade Thomas said: “We are delighted that Members of Senedd have unanimously supported these regulations.

“Compulsory CCTV in Wales’ abattoirs will help to protect and safeguard the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter right across the country.

“We would like to thank each and every person who took the time to support our lengthy campaign which ultimately showed the Welsh Government that this is something people very much care about. We’d also like to thank MSs for supporting these long-awaited regulations today.”

RSPCA Cymru has long called for CCTV to be mandatory in Wales’ abattoirs, and polling has shown 82 per cent* of the public support the charity’s call for action.