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This report describes the outcome of a Food and Veterinary Office audit in Spain from 1st to 10th April 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of controls in ensuring animals are spared any avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations.
Overall the conclusions on the system of official controls to ensure business operators implement requirements effectively were positive in both Autonomous Communities visited for the red meat slaughterhouses visited, although there are some weaknesses around training and the issuing of certificates of competence for slaughterhouse staff and inadequate restraining boxes for bovine animals. Both Autonomous Communities have recently developed good reporting systems and are working actively on the implementation of animal welfare controls in slaughterhouses. Competent Authority controls on the poultry slaughterhouse visited were insufficient to ensure business operator compliance with requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 and acceptable bird welfare at stunning and slaughter. The Central Competent Authority has provided some useful guidance to Autonomous Communities on the provision of training for certificates of competence and killing on fur farms. The transport of unfit bovine animals to slaughterhouses is a major problem. Although enforcement measures are in place at Autonomous Community level, sanctions are not dissuasive and resolution of this chronic issue appears some way off. Controls on the recording of specific welfare indicators post-mortem at poultry slaughterhouses, Competent Authority intervention levels, and procedures for follow up action are not in place in most Autonomous Communities or are just starting to be implemented four years after the relevant EU legislation entered into effect. The report makes a number of recommendations to the Spanish authorities to address the deficiencies noted.
Wednesday April 22, 2015/ FVO/ European Union.
http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo
