Wales launch slaughter consultation
The Welsh Government have launched a six-week consultation on how to maintain animal welfare standards at the time of slaughter.
The consultation comes in preparation of new minimum European standards for the treatment of animals at the time of their killing, set to come into force on 1 January 2013.
The Welsh Government said it wants to ensure the new standards (EU Regulation 1099/2099) do not result in a lowering of welfare standards for animals slaughtered in Wales.
John Griffiths, Wales' Environment Minister who launched the consultation, said: "Wales has a strong record in animal welfare, and while we welcome the EU Regulation, we are keen to ensure the best welfare standards are achieved at the time of slaughter here."
He added: “These are emotive issues for a range of groups so I would urge anyone with an interest to feed into the consultation.”
Click here to access the consultation.