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A conference co-organised by the European Commission and the Cypriot Presidency of the EU on the "Protection of animals in slaughterhouses: getting ready for 2013" took place yesterday in Brussels.
Gathering a broad range of participants from national and international organisations, competent authorities, vets, producers and NGO's, the aim was to ensure smooth implementation of the new animal slaughter rules, to provide a platform for exchanging experiences with representatives from the meat supply chain and to present state-of-the-art technologies related to animal slaughter.
The new rules will come into force on 1 January 2013 and will better integrate animal welfare considerations into the design and operations of slaughterhouses' who will need to regularly monitor the efficiency of their stunning techniques, appoint a specific person responsible for animal welfare and ensure that their staff is properly trained and certified.
Every year, nearly 360 million pigs, sheep, goats and cattle as well as several billion poultry are killed in slaughterhouses for their meat in the EU. In addition, about 25 million animals are killed for their fur. The control of contagious diseases may also require the culling of thousands to millions of other animals.
Wednesday October 23, 2012/ European Commission/ European Union.
http://ec.europa.eu/
