Legislation requiring video surveillance systems to be installed, designed to ensure animals are treated humanely before being killed, in slaughterhouses is now mandatory across Spain.
The new rule was announced in August, by the government in Moncloa, and is reported to be the first of its kind in the European Union.
“This rule puts Spain at the forefront of Europe in this area and, as well as ensuring the welfare of animals during their passage through abattoirs, it also improves food safety guarantees for consumers,” said Consumer Affairs Minister Alberto Garzon.
There are reported to be over 700 slaughterhouses in Spain which will now be required to use CCTV covering all areas live animals are kept.
“It has already been agreed with the industry”, government spokesperson Isabel Rodriguez told a press conference.
“We will be the first country in the European Union to have a compulsory video surveillance system in abattoirs,” said the consumer affairs ministry of Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing government.
Guillermo Moreno, executive director of Equalia, an NGO that lobbied for the reform, told AFP he was satisfied with what he called “a necessary and important first step to raise animal welfare standards in abattoirs”.
He added that England, Scotland and Israel had already introduced the measure in their slaughterhouses.
Under the Spanish rules, butcheries will be required to retain the video images for later verification by the authorities. They are said to only be required to keep images for one month after which they can be deleted.
“Large butcheries have one year to implement the new standard”, with smaller operations granted two years, the ministry said.
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