RSPCA welcomes launch of CCTV in slaughterhouses consultation in Wales

RSPCA Cymru has welcomed the launch of a consultation supporting the introduction of mandatory CCTV in all slaughterhouses in Wales.

The Welsh Government’s Minister for Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, announced today they have “committed to ensuring all slaughterhouses in Wales have CCTV” and subsequently a 12-week consultation has now been launched. The closing date for submissions of evidence is 6 February 2023.

Previously an investigation by the Welsh Parliament’s Petitions Committee highlighted how a majority of slaughterhouses in Wales do not currently have closed-circuit television systems in place.

Committee members – backed by the RSPCA – called on the Welsh Government to make the “installation and maintenance of CCTV monitoring systems mandatory in all slaughterhouses in Wales”.

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

The Welsh Government has supported the use of CCTV in slaughterhouses, and previously announced £1.1 million of grant aid for small and medium size slaughterhouses to – among other things – support the “installation and upgrading of CCTV monitoring systems” – though it is not currently a mandatory requirement.

RSPCA’s head of public affairs David Bowles said: “This news today is very welcome. Recent statistics suggest a majority of abattoirs in Wales – some 58 per cent of them – do not currently have CCTV in place.

“However, we know these systems provide people with vital reassurances about the quality of life of farm animals at the time of slaughter, act as a deterrent to animal cruelty, and can both protect staff and act as a vital training tool.

“By making CCTV compulsory in abattoirs they will help to protect and safeguard the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter right across the country.”

CCTV in slaughterhouses is already a mandatory requirement of the RSPCA farm animal welfare standards, which are used by the RSPCA Assured higher welfare certification scheme.