Slaughterer

Regulators
  • Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Food Standards Agency
Nations
  • England
Sectors
  • Other

Regulatory or professional bodies

Primary regulator

Regulatory authority
Food Standards Agency
Address

Floors 6 and 7
Clive House
70 Petty France
London
SW1H 9EX

Email address
helpline@food.gov.uk
Phone number
+44 (0)330 332 7149

Additional regulator

Address

Nobel House, 17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

Phone number
+44 (0)3459 335 577

Regulation

Regulation summary

Article 7 of retained regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing (PATOK) requires that killing and related operations shall only be carried out by someone with the appropriate level of competence to do so without causing animals avoidable pain, distress or suffering. Slaughter operations can only be carried out by a person holding a Certificate of Competence for such operations.

Article 21(2) of PATOK enables the Food Standards Agency (FSA), under delegation from Defra to issue Certificates of Competence and temporary Certificates of Competence.

Article 21(3) of PATOK requires that Certificates of competence shall indicate for which categories of animals, type of equipment and for which of the operations listed in Article 7(2) or (3) the certificate is valid.

The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 and the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Wales) Regulations 2014 implement the requirements of PATOK relating to Certificates of Competence and temporary Certificates of Competence.

Regulation type

Licence

Reserved activities

Anyone carrying out certain slaughter operations involving live animals up to the point of death (not unconsciousness) must hold a Certificate of Competence (CoC), under the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) Regulations.

A Certificate of Competence (CoC) from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is needed to do any of the following in an FSA-approved slaughterhouse:

• handle animals before they’re restrained
• restrain animals for stunning or killing
• stun animals
• check stunning has worked
• shackle or hoisting live animals
• bleed live animals
• religious slaughter
• pithing of a stunned animal
• check pithing has worked


Qualifications and experience

New professionals

Routes to qualification

To become qualified Slaughterer:
(1) Register to train with an approved trainer accredited by the FDQ
(2) Provide evidence of registration to the Official Veterinarian (OV) to obtain a temporary Certificate of Competence (CoC)
(3) During the 3 months the temporary CoC is valid,
(a) Training must be completed
(b) The assessment successfully passed.
(4) Apply for a full CoC using the qualification certificate.

Professionals from other UK nations

Routes to recognition within the UK

If you have a CoC or a WATOK licence issued in Northern Ireland or Scotland, you can use it in England and Wales for the procedures, equipment and animals listed

Professionals from outside the UK

Recognition for professionals outside the UK
Some - qualifications from some countries may be recognised, but professionals from other countries will have to re-qualify
Summary of routes

As the UK has left the EU, a CoC issued anywhere other than in the UK is no longer valid and cannot be accepted to carry out duties in approved slaughterhouses. Citizens from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) can apply for a UK CoC with details of their current ROI CoC, and the appropriate fee. A UK CoC will be issued on an equivalence basis for the same species and operations


Registration

Registration requirements

You must apply to the FSA for a Temporary Certificate of Competence (TCoC) or a full Certificate of Competence (CoC). There is an application fee of £25 for a full CoC.


Legislation

Title of relevant act or charter

The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015

Title of relevant act or charter

Protection of Animals and the Time of Killing

Licence Finder

You may need licences and permits to carry out certain activities in the UK. These are called authorisations. Use the licence finder to find what you need.