CCTV in England

In 2018, Defra responded to calls from World Horse Welfare and other welfare charities to introduce legislation on CCTV in slaughterhouses. Legislation was introduced that requires every slaughterhouse in England to have CCTV in all areas where live animals are present and that Official Veterinarians (OVs) will have unrestricted access to footage which must be kept for 90 days. 

We welcomed this legislation as accountability and transparency are essential if the slaughterhouse is to remain an option for horse owners, especially those who cannot afford the high price of euthanasia. Without CCTV in all areas of the slaughterhouse where live animals are present, horses at abattoirs are at greater risk of being ‘invisible’.