End Piglet Killing

I was absolutely horrified to read all your emails about piglet thumping, as it is so distressing that these poor animals should be treated so horrifically and that farmers are not upholding the standards they are legally obliged to work within.

As you may know, the previous Government established the Smaller Abattoir Fund (SAF) due to the rapid decline in the number of local abattoirs. That decline meant that the spread of services was not uniform nationwide and therefore many animals were having to travel long journeys prior to slaughter. I believe providing shorter travel times with support for smaller local abattoirs is better for animal welfare. I wanted to assure you I wholeheartedly support our Government’s pledge to achieve the biggest boost in animal welfare in a generation. I note all eligible abattoirs under the Smaller Abattoir Fund (SAF) are registered and approved by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), who are also consulted during the assessment of applications. The FSA carries out checks on slaughterhouses to ensure animal welfare compliance. Individuals involved in killing and related operations must be appropriately trained and licensed and must hold a proficiency qualification before being able to apply for a Certificate of Competence.

Since 2018 there have been welcome mandatory requirements for slaughterhouses to have installed CCTV, to keep the images for 90 days and to make the images available to FSA inspectors. CCTV must provide a complete and clear view of killing and related operations in all areas of the slaughterhouse where there are live animals, up to the point where the assessment for absence of life is carried out.

I was really distressed about this, so I looked into how our Government tackle such allegations of animal cruelty. I was pleased to see that potential breaches of animal health and welfare legislation are taken very seriously. Allegations are investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and appropriate action is taken for non-compliance with regulations. It is essential any suspicion of animal cruelty is alerted to APHA at the first opportunity, for timely investigations and the safeguarding of animal welfare.

All farm animals are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation, notably the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. Our Government also has a series of species-specific welfare codes, which farmers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with, which encourage high standards of husbandry.

Additionally, there are strict rules to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing. Due to serious concerns about the welfare consequences of a manual percussive blow to the head, it is not a permitted method for stunning or killing piglets. Key legislation covers these topics, including the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015. In 2022, the regulations were amended to permit the use of a non-penetrative captive bolt device as a killing method for neonate piglets, kids and lambs, within certain parameters. This has provided a method of killing on farm for these species that is practical and humane.