SUPPORT FROM INDUSTRY BODIES
‘BVA considers that all slaughterhouses should be required to install CCTV in all areas where live animals are kept and killed, in order to provide a clear and uninterrupted recording of all activities within these areas. The CCTV footage should be regularly observed and verified according to an agreed protocol and should be used as an additional training, observing, verifying, and enforcement tool to ensure the relevant legal requirements are met and high animal welfare standards are maintained. It is recommended that OVs as well as other enforcement officers must have access to any CCTV footage and this should be written into UK legislation.’
British Veterinary Association, July 2015
‘BVA considers that all slaughterhouses should be required to install CCTV in all areas where live animals are kept and killed, in order to provide a clear and uninterrupted recording of all activities within these areas. The CCTV footage should be regularly observed and verified according to an agreed protocol and should be used as an additional training, observing, verifying, and enforcement tool to ensure the relevant legal requirements are met and high animal welfare standards are maintained. It is recommended that OVs as well as other enforcement officers must have access to any CCTV footage and this should be written into UK legislation.’
British Veterinary Association, July 2015
‘The FSA… supports the use of CCTV in slaughterhouses as an effective monitoring tool for animal welfare – for both the food business operator and their management team, or the FSA – to ensure necessary standards are being met at all times. The FSA’s experience is that food business operators who have CCTV in use for animal welfare are keen to demonstrate the high standards at which their operatives work.’
Food Standards Agency, May 2014
‘Concerns about the monitoring of welfare of animals in slaughterhouses have been raised by UNISON members working as meat inspectors and vets. UNISON believes that CCTV would not only act as a deterrent but would help to provide the evidence-base necessary to properly hold people to account. To that end, the footage should be the property of the Food Standards Agency. To boost animals’ welfare, the group is also calling for an enhanced role for meat inspectors and vets in abattoirs. They already have a role in safeguarding animal welfare, but this could be greatly enhanced. CCTV footage could be regularly reviewed by meat inspectors to monitor and safeguard animal welfare. Animals should be treated humanely, including in abattoirs. Our members are deeply concerned that before they are slaughtered animals can needlessly suffer – this has to stop. CCTV would help to give our members the proof they need to highlight problems when they arise.’
UNISON, April 2014
‘I can confirm that all abattoirs we source our fresh and frozen meat and poultry from have had CCTV fitted since 2011…We believe that the installation of CCTV cameras in our abattoirs has provided an additional, useful and objective source of evidence when assessing compliance against our requirements. I can… confirm that our suppliers welcomed the installation of CCTV in their abattoirs and as such we have met no resistance from them either when we first requested their use or during any situations where we have used footage during the course of our work.’
Justin King, Chief Executive, Sainsbury’s, February 2014
‘We believe that the presence of CCTV cameras has improved animal welfare awareness among staff. They now show greater empathy towards the animals… we believe that the addition of CCTV has been a great help in protecting animals. With regard to resistance, we can confirm that we did not encounter any from our suppliers regarding installation of CCTV.’
Lidl, March 2014
‘[We] completed the installation of CCTV in all our abattoir facilities in June 2011… The staff at those facilities have not raised any issues with the cameras…’
Mark Price, Managing Director, Waitrose, March 2014
‘M&S Codes of Practice have required the use of CCTV in slaughterhouses to monitor animal welfare for a number of years… Auditors are able to verify that animal welfare checks are taking place out of hours, also useful to verify auditor observations during audit. Overall there has been no resistance.’
Mark Atherton-Ranson, Animal Welfare Manager, Marks & Spencer, February 2014
‘All our suppliers with slaughterhouse operations must be equipped with CCTV and comply with the [our] guidelines. As with any monitoring tool, CCTV monitoring can add value as part of an overall programme of continual development.’
Tesco, March 2014
‘All our Beef is sourced from approved UK or Irish slaughter facilities and our Pork is sourced from British, Freedom Food approved slaughter facilities. All these facilities have CCTV installed… In addition I can confirm that all British chicken slaughterhouses supplying our business already have CCTV fitted.’
Connor McVeigh, Supply Chain Director, McDonald’s, March-April 2014
‘I can confirm that all primary Iceland meat and poultry slaughtered in the UK is from sites which have CCTV in place… Iceland shall continue to encourage the installation of CCTV in slaughterhouses across a global sourcing basis.’
Emma Meredith, Food Legislation Manager, Iceland, April 2014