Legislation to make CCTV compulsory in abattoirs in Scotland has been approved by the Scottish parliament and will come into force on 1 July 2021.
The new law – The Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses (Scotland) Regulations 2020 — will require all abattoirs in Scotland to install and operate CCTVs and to retain footage and associated data for a period of 90 days.
The decision follows a public consultation by the Scottish Government in 2018 in which a vast majority of respondents backed the new measures.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said it welcomed the legislation, where CCTV was used to complement the physical monitoring and checks undertaken by Official Vets.
BVA Scottish Branch President Kathleen Robertson said: “While most Scottish abattoirs already have CCTV, this legislation will help to keep welfare standards high at all stages of the supply chain now and in the future. It is positive that Official Vets in Scottish abattoirs will be able to use CCTV footage as a complement to their welfare monitoring and also have unrestricted access to footage so that they can identify and resolve any breaches in regulation effectively.
“Now that Scotland has taken this important step, we hope that governments in Wales and Northern Ireland will follow suit with similar legislation to underpin the high welfare standards across the whole of the UK.”