Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr McAleer): I welcome Mr Neal Gartland, director of animal health and welfare policy; Mr Christopher Andrews, deputy director of animal health and welfare policy; Mr Barry McGarvey, senior principal veterinary officer; and Mr Chris Wade, farmed animal policy lead.

We would be grateful if you could take the opportunity to brief the Committee.

Mr Neal Gartland (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs): Thank you. Good morning, Deputy Chair and members. We welcome the opportunity to brief the Committee on the draft Mandatory Use of Closed Circuit Television in Slaughterhouses Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, which have been developed following public consultation. As you outlined, I am joined by Chris Andrews, Barry McGarvey and Chris Wade. We will be happy to take questions after my opening remarks, if that is all right.

To provide some background, in 2015, the Animal Welfare Committee recommended mandatory CCTV across all UK slaughterhouses to strengthen oversight and improve welfare outcomes. Following that recommendation, England introduced legislation in 2018, Scotland followed in 2021, and Wales implemented similar regulations in 2024. Northern Ireland is the only UK jurisdiction without mandatory CCTV requirements in slaughterhouses.

While slaughterhouses in Northern Ireland already operate to high standards and the majority already use CCTV, there are no common, binding rules on CCTV systems to be used, no minimum standards for coverage or retention and no statutory rights of access for official veterinarians. The Minister identified the introduction of mandatory CCTV as a priority in the animal welfare pathway with the aim of closing a clear regulatory gap and aligning Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK. Introducing mandatory CCTV will strengthen enforcement capability, improve consistency across premises and reinforce public confidence in the humane treatment of animals throughout the slaughter process.

There are 20 licensed slaughterhouses operating in Northern Ireland. Of those, 15 already have full CCTV coverage in areas where live animals are present, which is driven largely by contractual requirements for major GB retailers and by participation in assurance schemes such as Red Tractor. Five sites, however, have only partial coverage or no coverage at all.

An eight-week public consultation took place in March 2025 and received 22 responses from representative bodies, industry and individuals. There was strong support for the proposals. Ninety-one per cent agreed that CCTV should be mandatory in all areas where live animals are handled, stunned or killed; 91% supported a 90-day retention period; 77% considered the associated costs proportionate; and, finally, 73% supported full access for authorised officers. Although some respondents raised concerns about costs for smaller operators and data protection, the overall response provided a clear mandate to proceed. A regulatory impact assessment, equality screening and rural needs assessment were undertaken, and no equality, human rights or rural impacts were identified.

The regulations, which will be made under section 11 of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. The regulations will require CCTV in all areas in which live animals are present, including onloading, handling, stunning and killing areas. Footage must be of sufficient quality to be used as evidence, must be retained for a minimum of 90 days and must be available for authorised officers to view, copy or seize as required. There will be full access for official veterinarians and departmental officials, including through the powers to inspect systems, request footage and seize equipment as necessary. Enforcement powers include improvement and prohibition notices, and there will be a six-month implementation period to provide slaughterhouses with time to ensure compliance before enforcement provisions take effect. The offences and penalties mirror those in place in Great Britain and are considered to be proportionate and evidence-based. Guidance is being developed for industry and enforcement officers to ensure clarity on technical and operational expectations. Given that the regulations introduce new offences and penalties, which involves the Department of Justice, Executive approval was required. That was granted on 22 January.

The introduction of mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses will strengthen and support the work of our official veterinarians; improve transparency and accountability across the sector; enhance animal welfare protections, particularly in areas that are difficult to supervise directly; provide operators with valuable training and quality assurance tools; protect staff and operators against unfounded allegations; provide consumer reassurance; and ensure parity with the rest of the UK.

Subject to the Committee's consideration, the Department will seek Assembly time to lay and make the regulations. Once approved, the regulations will commence with a six-month implementation period. The Department will finalise the guidance and continue to engage with operators and veterinary colleagues to support smooth implementation.

Thank you for the opportunity to outline the proposals. The regulations represent a necessary modernisation of the legislative framework and will ensure consistent, enforceable oversight across all slaughterhouses in Northern Ireland. We view the proposals as balanced, proportionate and operationally deliverable. We are happy to answer any questions that members may have.

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr McAleer): Thank you for that presentation. What evidence is available to support the view that a CCTV requirement in slaughterhouses leads to measurable improvements in animal welfare and accountability?

Mr Gartland: There was a review of the implementation of the regulations in England, and there was clear evidence that CCTV helped to identify animal welfare breaches. In addition, in one in three certificate-of-competence suspensions for slaughterhouses in England, the CCTV regulations were used as part of the evidence base for revoking the certificate. CCTV also provided an evidence base for the training of staff. The Animal Welfare Committee's report outlined the animal welfare benefits that would be accrued from bringing in regulations such as those implemented in GB.

I will bring Chris in to provide more of the evidential background on the Animal Welfare Committee.

Mr Christopher Andrews (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs): As Neal said in his opening remarks, there was a welfare recommendation from the Farm Animal Welfare Committee, but it would be remiss of me not to mention that there is a public expectation that, where animals are slaughtered, CCTV should be used. There is a strong correlation between people's perception that CCTV provides safeguards that ensure that there are proper, appropriate processes in place and that the end product is of a higher welfare standard.

Northern Ireland is seen as a bit of an outlier, because we do not have the legislation in place, as Neal said. In many respects, we are playing catch-up with a number of the assurance schemes that are already in operation across Northern Ireland. Schemes such as Red Tractor require CCTV, so, as I said, we are just playing catch-up.

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr McAleer): Am I right in saying that the EU — the South, for example — does not have that requirement?

Mr Andrews: That is correct, Chair. The only European member state that has mandatory CCTV in abattoirs is Spain. The European Food Safety Authority has not produced recommendations on it. However, from the information gathered from the post-implementation review in England it is clear that CCTV has supported things such as proving welfare breaches. It has also supported and helped organisations to disprove or dispel an allegation of poor welfare practice, so it is seen as an important safeguard. I have touched on this, but, again, it provides the public with reassurance that animals are slaughtered in accordance with regulations. It is also complementary to existing regulations on welfare at the time of killing.

The Deputy Chairperson (Mr McAleer): OK. If members are OK with that, I thank you very much for your presentation.

Mr Gartland: Thank you.