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Implementation of the animal slaughter regulation. Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development 14 September 2015. Andrea Gavinelli , Head of Unit Animal Welfare Directorate General for Health and Food Safety European Commission. EU animal welfare rules since 2013.
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Implementation of the animal slaughter regulation Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development 14 September 2015 Andrea Gavinelli, Head of Unit Animal Welfare Directorate General for Health and Food Safety European Commission
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
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)
Auditing Member States (2) • 2013 Estonia (pilot audit) • 2014 Latvia, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, The Netherlands • 2015 Poland, France
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
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)
BTSF on animal welfare at slaughter • E-learning coursefrom 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)
Scientific actions The EFSA adoptedopinions on monitoring at slaughter • Toolboxes to assess consciousness • Most common stunning methods + slaughter without stunning
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
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
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
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
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
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
Thank you for your attention! ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/index_en.htm