The additional costs associated with mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses “outweigh the benefits to animal welfare”, a government report has found.
It became mandatory for all slaughterhouses in England to install and operate a CCTV system in all areas of the slaughterhouse where live animal are present in May 2018.
A post-implementation review into the Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (England) Regulations 2018, published this month, has now confirmed the positive impact this has had.
“Overall, it is our assessment that, although the cost of the policy was higher than expected, this is outweighed by the benefits to animal welfare and in assurance of high welfare standards,” the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in its report.
It said there is evidence to suggest it has improved animal welfare by “allowing for increased identification of incidences and enforcement”.
“This provides an opportunity to highlight inappropriate behaviours, instigate further training or ensure that those who are unfit for their role can be, where necessary, removed from it,” it said.
“Similarly, while the potency of the deterrent effect of mandatory CCTV may decrease over time, there has been a clear reduction in welfare non-compliance incidents since the introduction of the CCTV Regulations.”
The review also found that CCTV also plays an “important role” in the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) monitoring activities, by verifying compliance with legislation, providing a further layer of assurance to consumers, retailers and farm assurance providers that there are high animal welfare standards in slaughterhouses.
Recordings also provide assurances to operators and consumers in the event of a complaint, it said.
Slaughterhouse CCTV
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has said it is “pleased that the evidence confirms that the installation of CCTV helps improve farm animal welfare”.
“The RSPCA pioneered the use of CCTV in slaughterhouses and the legal requirements introduced were based on the RSPCA’s farm animal welfare standards,” Dr. Marc Cooper, head of farm animals at the RSPCA, said.
“However, in the future we would also like to see CCTV extended to other parts of the farm animals’ lives, as well as capitalising on advancements in artificial intelligence to further improve this technology, better safeguard farm animal welfare and to get to a point where there is never another incident of poor farm animal treatment,” he added.
Dr. Cooper also said that the review highlights how welcome it is that the Welsh Government intends to follow suit, and “how we need those systems mandated in Wales as soon as is practically possible”. A consultation on mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses in Wales closed on February 6.
In Scotland, the mandatory use of CCTV in slaughterhouses came into force in July 2021.
There are no requirements for mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses in Northern Ireland.
