Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the effective enforcement of animal welfare measures on the transportation of farm animals for slaughter.

In England, Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 and it would be for individual Local Authorities to take action against transporters when welfare issues are identified at slaughterhouses. Local Authorities will take prosecution action when serious welfare issues relating to the transport of live animals have been identified.

Officials in Defra have been working with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Animal and Plant Health Agency and representatives from the Local Authorities’ National Animal Health and Welfare Panel, to improve the process for referring welfare cases relating to transport, identified by FSA’s Official Veterinarians at slaughterhouses. This is so prompt action can be taken by the relevant Local Authority when breaches of animal welfare legislation are identified.

APHA carry out supervised loadings on high risk commercial consignments of livestock for slaughter exported from England to ensure compliance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on protection of animals in transport. These checks include, but are not limited to vehicle specifications to ensure the transport is designed, constructed in a way to avoid injury and suffering and to ensure that transporters and vehicles have the appropriate authorisations and certificates in place.

APHA also carry out proportional portal checks on sheep and other livestock being imported or exported. When supervised loadings and portal checks are completed APHA will take regulatory action if non compliances are identified.