Implementation of the animal slaughter regulation
Andrea Gavinelli, Head of UnitAnimal WelfareDirectorate General for Health and Food SafetyEuropean Commission
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development 14 September 2015
EU animal welfare rules since 2013
Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 increases the
responsibility of business operators
• Standard operating procedures
• Monitoring procedure at stunning
• Animal welfare officer
• Competence for staff handling animals
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Auditing Member States (1)
• Integration of animal welfare in all food safety
audits on slaughterhouses
• Full audits on animal welfare at slaughter in 13
Member States
• Desk study on Member States official
instructions and codes of good practice (11
guides to good practice in seven Member States)3
Auditing Member States (2)
• 2013 Estonia (pilot audit)
• 2014 Latvia, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom,
Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary,
Belgium, The Netherlands
• 2015 Poland, France4
Auditing Member States (3)
Results of the 13 full audits on slaughter
•Red meat slaughterhouses: no generalised
operational problems detected till now
•Poultry slaughterhouses: lower electrical
parameters are often used
•Good impact of the AWO brochure
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Awareness and education
• International Conference on slaughter in 2012
• Publication of a brochure on the animal
welfare officer
• Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF)
• EUWelNet pilot project (standard operating
procedures on slaughter)
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"The animal welfare officer in the European Union"
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BTSF on animal welfare at slaughter
• E-learning course from March 2014
1.361 officials trained from 35 countries
• Training session every year
Until 2015 one session per year (around 50 p)
In 2016, two advanced training sessions (50 p x2)
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Scientific actions
The EFSA adopted opinions on monitoring at
slaughter
•Toolboxes to assess consciousness
•Most common stunning methods + slaughter
without stunning
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Toolboxes on monitoring procedures
• Cattle http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3460.htm
• Sheep/goats http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3522.htm
• Pigs http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3523.htm
• Poultry http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3521.htm
• Sample size http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/541e.pdf
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International activities
• Equivalency requirement for all imported meat: "Regulation 191/2013 on model of veterinary certificates"
• International standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
• Training sessions in third countries (BTSF) see next slide
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Regional BTSF training sessions in third countries
• Korea, October 2012, 70 participants• Thailand, March 2014, 50 participants• Brazil, November 2014, 70 participants• • Forthcoming events:• Costa Rica, October 2015, 60 participants • Sri Lanka, March 2016, 60 participants
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Studies and reports
• Report on poultry stunning December 2013
• Study on information to consumers on
stunning May 2015
• Report on restraining cattle by inversion (foreseen
end 2015)
http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/slaughter/index_en.htm
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Information to consumers on the stunning of animals
• Information on stunning is not important for most
consumers (except if raised)
• Unclear if consumers would use this information if
available
• Labelling would result in higher prices for religious
groups concerned and risk of stigmatisation
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Conclusions
• Major innovations thanks to the EU legislation
• Overall good response from the industry
• No major enforcement problems identified
except poultry stunning parameters
• Good cooperation ongoing with Member States
and stakeholders to improve compliance
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Thank you for your attention!
ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/index_en.htm