Meetings

The Committee considered the status of petition P-04-399 Slaughter Practices and agreed not to include this issue in the report on P-04-433 and to close the petition on the basis that there has been a lack of recent evidence received.

The Committee considered further correspondence on the petition and agreed to produce a report to summarise the evidence it has received and formalise its recommendations to the Welsh Government.

The Committee considered this petition together with P-04-433 and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary to:

• reiterate it’s view that the Welsh Government should make CCTV mandatory in Welsh slaughterhouses;
• ask the Cabinet Secretary to inform the Committee about the uptake of funding under the Food Business Investment Scheme when this is known; and
• ask her to provide a list of slaughterhouses in Wales that do not have CCTV installed.

The Committee heard evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs and agreed to write to her to ask for:

• confirmation of her commitment to produce guidance which encourages abattoirs in Wales to install CCTV; and
• assurances that all abattoirs in Wales will be encouraged to apply for grant funding for the installation of CCTV and those who choose not to apply will be closely monitored;

with a view to closing the petition once the Cabinet Secretary’s response has been received.

Lesley Griffiths, Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs

Dr Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales

Stuart Evans, Head of Fisheries Policy

The Committee heard evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Dr Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales and Stuart Evans, Head of Fisheries Policy.

The Committee considered this petition together with P-04-433 CCTV in Slaughterhouses and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs expressing that the Committee are supportive of the call for CCTV to be mandatory in slaughterhouses and request that she reconsiders the Welsh Government’s position.

The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-433 CCTV in Slaughterhouses and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs to ask that the Welsh Government give further consideration to this issue in light of the recent announcement by the UK Government that it intends to make CCTV in slaughterhouses a mandatory requirement in England, and the commitment of the Scottish Government to run a public consultation on the issue.

See agreed action under agenda item 3.3.

See agreed action under agenda item 3.2.

See agreed action under item 3.11.

See agreed action under 4.16.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await an update from the Minister once the report of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee to the Welsh Government has been received and considered.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await the Statutory Instrument implementing the new EC regulations and return to the matter once this has been introduced.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister for Natural Resources and Food asking for a timeframe for consideration of this issue.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek clarity from the Minister for Natural Resources and Food on the timeframe for taking forward this issue.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister for Natural Resources and Food asking for clarification on the timeframe for revisiting the issue, and that the Committee is kept updated with developments.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, asking that the Committee be updated with the findings from the consultation, and how these will impact on the implementation of the EU regulations.

The Committee considered correspondence in relation to this petition and agreed to:

Request details of the timing of the consultation on the proposed legislation to implement EC Regulation 1099-2009 in order to inform the petitioner;

Request that the Committee is informed of the outcome of the consultation.

The Committee considered this petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development and the Minister for Finance and Leader of the House to seek their views on the petition.