Results of CCTV survey in England and Wales slaughterhouses published

31 Aug 2016 11:08 AM

We are today publishing the results of our May 2016 CCTV survey in slaughterhouses in England and Wales. All 278 operating slaughterhouses voluntarily took part. This is the Food Standards Agency’s fourth survey on CCTV in slaughterhouses.

We support use of CCTV by business operators as part of their system for monitoring and protecting animal welfare. It does not replace direct oversight by management, or checks by officials, but it can improve their effectiveness.  

Key findings from the survey:

• 102 out of 207 red meat slaughterhouses (49.3%) and 50 out of 71 white meat slaughterhouses (70.4%) in England and Wales have some form of CCTV in use for animal welfare purposes
• By comparison, in the 2015 survey 105 out of 215 red meat slaughterhouses (48.8%) and 51 out of 72 white meat slaughterhouses (70.8%) in England and Wales had some form of CCTV for animal welfare purposes. 
• We estimate that in England and Wales 92% of cattle, 96% of pigs, 88% of sheep and 99% of poultry throughput comes from premises with some form of CCTV in use.

Whilst we have been encouraged by increase in use of CCTV in recent years the latest survey results appear to suggest that uptake may have plateaued.  However, the FSA is well placed to continue to work with industry and Government partners to encourage further uptake.

Read the full survey results

Results of 2016 CCTV survey in slaughterhouses in England and Wales(101.22 KB)

Our role

The protection of animal welfare prior to and during slaughter and killing is one of the key functions of the FSA in approved slaughterhouses in England and Wales. Policy responsibility for animal welfare sits with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Government.