FSA 25/09/06 - Animal Welfare - Annex 1
Published 25 June 2026
Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales
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1. Animal Welfare Action Plan – actions completed 01/04/24 to 31/03/25
The Animal Welfare Steering Group is comprised of representatives from the FSA, Defra, Welsh Government, and Devolved Administrations. The Steering Group monitor progress of activities on the Animal Welfare Action Plan and identify and agree new activities to be added to the Animal Welfare Action Plan.
Strengthening verification and compliance
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Conduct Animal Welfare themed audit | In October and November 2024, the FSA animal welfare team conducted an animal welfare themed audit, which looked at: CCTV (requirements, maintenance, and access) Back up stunning equipment (operation and maintenance) Lairage (water, feed, and provision) Prioritising unfit animals (provision and killing) Handling and restraint (suitability and operation) Stun to stick time (operation and governance) Monitoring of unconsciousness/death (protocols and governance) The audit found that Food Business Operator (FBO) systems are broadly implemented in compliance with the legislation and provide a good level of assurance that the animal welfare legislative requirements are fulfilled |
| Develop an online facility for applying for a Certificate of Competence (CoC) | During 2024-2025 we developed an online form for applicants to apply for a CoC to handle and slaughter animals in approved slaughterhouses. The online system was tested extensively and communicated to the meat industry before being implemented in March 2025 |
| Support mandation of CCTV in Wales | In 2023-2024 we supported Welsh Government in their progression toward introducing mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses regulations. In 2024-2025 the regulations came into force. We communicated with the industry and ran a series of field surveys to inform Welsh Government and to support the industry in achieving compliance. Some low-level enforcement relating to positioning of cameras was required to achieve full compliance with the regulations |
Clarifying accountability and improving collaboration
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Agree 2024-2025 Animal Welfare Service Level Agreement (SLA) | We agreed funding of the 2024-2025 animal welfare SLA with Defra and Welsh Government, and we developed and agreed Key Performance Indicators |
| Deliver improvements under the animal welfare referrals joint working group | We improved guidance and procedures, and we continued to enhance data sharing on repeat offences and offenders to support enforcement decision making by APHA and LAs |
Improving education and instruction
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Produce technical guidance | We produced new technical guidance or enhanced existing guidance relating to referring farm and transport cases, recording animal welfare cases, CCTV in Wales regulations, CoC code requirements for restraint at stunning, poultry that is dead on arrival, the approval process of bovine restraint, guides to good practice, back up method for religious slaughter of poultry, movement of oversized / large horned animals to another slaughterhouse, and recording of CCTV on mobile phones |
| Develop guidance for applicants of a CoC | We designed and published revised guidance to assist those intending to apply for a CoC using the online application process |
Better analysis and reporting
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Produce a Board report | We produced and presented the 2023-2024 Animal Welfare board paper |
| Report on the 2024 slaughter sector survey | In the first half of 2024-2025 we produced a report on the 2024 slaughter sector survey on behalf of Defra and Welsh government. |
| Enhanced data reporting | We continued to refine our publicly open data, as well as data tailored for FBOs and other regulators |