PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare (24 March 2017)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Questions 46848 and 46849, on slaughterhouses: animal welfare, whether she has undertaken investigations into any other factors contributing to the increased number of deaths recorded and the number of welfare breaches during transportation; and what steps she has taken to reduce such deaths and breaches.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

Investigation into welfare incidents that occur at slaughterhouses are the responsibility of the FSA. Where welfare breaches are identified relating to the transportation of the animals at slaughterhouses, the FSA will notify the relevant Local Authority Trading Standards office which are responsible for enforcing the welfare of animals during transport legislation.

Defra is currently working with local authorities and the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) to improve the enforcement action taken against transporters where animals are found to be injured or dead on arrival at a slaughterhouse. As part of this initiative, APHA have issued a number of warning letters to transporters, to explain that any further non-compliance identified at slaughterhouses would result in regulatory action being taken against them.

Answered by:
George Eustice (Conservative)
29 March 2017