The EU Regulation on the protection of animals at the

time of killing

What is the Commission doing to implement it?

Denis Simonin, Animal Welfare unitDirectorate General for Health and Consumers

European Commission

A new EU regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing

Regulation 1099/2009 started to apply 1/1/2013

•More responsibility for slaughterhouses

• Standard operating procedures in particular at stunning

• Animal welfare officer

• Competence for staff handling animals

•Scientific support appointed by competent authorities

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Preliminary work before 2013

• Fact finding missions in third countries in 2011• Preliminary investigation on the state of

preparedness of the Member States in 2012• International conference with Stakeholders in

October 2012• Production of a booklet on the role of the

animal welfare officer in all EU languages• BTSF on slaughter and killing• Development of BTSF e-learning tool on new

regulation 3

Since 1/1/2013: Member States (1)

• Integration in all FVO relevant units: animal health and welfare, red meat and poultry slaughterhouses• 8 red meat audits (UK, MT, ES, PT, LV, FI, SI and BE)• 3 poultry audits till June (HU, FR and IE)

• Pilot of full audit in Estonia + plan to perform detailed audits in 11 Member States in 2014

• Desk study on Member States official instructions and codes of good practice

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Since 1/1/2013: Member States (2)

• 2013 audits focused mainly on:• Certificate of competence• Animal welfare officer activities• Restraining and stunning operations• Monitoring the effects of stunning

• Red meat slaughterhouses: no generalised operational problems detected till now

• Poultry slaughterhouses: lower electrical parameters are often used

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Since 1/1/2013: Member States (3)

• Member States official instructions and business operators codes of good practice• Only 14 Member States replied to our query• 4 Member States provided extensive check lists• 5 Member States provided official instructions or

updated them• NL and PL are the best good examples provided so

far• SE has implemented a free online e-learning tool• Only DE has approved a 2 codes of good practice

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Since 1/1/2013: other initiatives

• EFSA opinions on two applications for new stunning methods/parameters June 2013

• EFSA mandate on monitoring procedures at stunning December 2013

• EUWelNet guidelines available December 2013• Report on poultry stunning December 2013• Study on information to consumers on

stunning April 2014• Report on restraining cattle by inversion

December 2014 7

Conclusion

• Many new innovations in this regulation

• Member States work on the implementation but

some of them lately

• More precise picture of the EU situation by the

end of 2014 but no major problems identified

except poultry stunning parameters

• Many ongoing works both at Member States and

Commission level to improve compliance8

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Thank you for your attention!

ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/index_en.htm