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