The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995

UK Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 731 — creates 2 criminal offences.

2offences created

0recorded in force

2revoked

Made: 14 March 1995
In force from: 1 April 1995
Extent: Not stated
Subject: TV licensing, fare evasion and school attendance
Made under: European Communities Act 1972

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

These Regulations, which extend to Great Britain, give effect to the provisions of Council Directive 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at time of slaughter or killing (OJ No. L 340, 31.12.93, p. 21). They revoke and replace the regulations specified in Schedule 15. The Regulations apply to the movement, lairaging, restraint, stunning, slaughter and killing of animals bred and kept for the production of meat, skin, fur or other products, to the killing of animals for the purpose of disease control and to the killing of surplus chicks and embryos in hatchery waste (regulation 3(1)), subject to exceptions for acts done lawfully under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (regulation 3(2)), sporting events (regulation 3(3)) and wild game (regulation 3(4)). The Regulations— a provide for the licensing of slaughtermen by Ministers (regulation 4(1) and Schedule 1); b prevent persons from engaging in the lairaging, restraint, stunning, slaughter or killing of animals without the necessary knowledge and skill (regulation 4(2)); c prohibit persons engaged in the lairaging, restraint, stunning, slaughter or killing of animals from causing any avoidable excitement, pain or suffering to any animal (regulation 4(3)); d require occupiers of slaughterhouses or knackers' yards to ensure (i) that there is a person available who has authority to take whatever action may be necessary to safeguard the welfare of any live animals on the premises (regulation 5), and (ii) that any person who is engaged in activities governed by these Regulations is acquainted with the legislation and welfare codes which are relevant to those activities and, where necessary, is licensed (regulation 6); e provide powers for Ministers to make statutory codes of practice (regulation 7); f specify the construction, equipment and maintenance requirements for slaughterhouses and knackers' yards (regulation 8 and Schedule 2); g regulate the movement and lairaging of solipeds, ruminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry (regulations 9(a) and 10(a) and Schedule 3); h regulate the restraint of solipeds, runminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry in slaughterhouses and knackers' yards (regulations 9(b) and 10(b) and Schedule 4) and elsewhere (regulation 15(a) and Schedule 4); i regulate the stunning and killing of solipeds, ruminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry in slaughterhouses and knackers' yards (regulations 9(c) and 10(c) and Schedule 4) and elsewhere (regulations 14 and 15(b) and Schedule 4); j regulate the bleeding and pithing of solipeds, ruminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry in slaughterhouses and knackers' yards (regulation 10(d) and Schedule 6) and elsewhere (regulation 15(c) and Schedule 6); k regulate the killing of pigs or birds by exposure to gas mixtures (regulation 11 and Schedule 7); l specify additional conditions for the slaughter or killing of horses (regulation 12 and Schedule 8); m provide for slaughter or killing for private consumption (regulation 16); n regulate the slaughter or killing of animals for the purpose of disease control (regulation 17 and Schedule 9); o regulate the killing of fox and mink which are farmed for their fur (regulation 18 and Schedule 10); p regulate the killing of surplus chicks and embryos in hatchery waste (regulation 19 and Schedule 11); q require occupiers of premises where birds are kept for slaughter at the place of purchase to ensure that the birds' accommodation gives them enough room and that the birds are fed and watered (regulation 20); r regulate slaughter by a religious method (regulations 21 and 22 and Schedule 12); s specify the powers of authorised persons (regulation 23), create offences and prescribe penalties (regulations 24 to 26) and provide a defence for emergency acts (regulation 27); t make repeals, revocations and amendments (regulation 28 and Schedules 13 to 15). A Compliance Cost Assessment in relation to these Regulations has been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament and copies can be obtained from the Meat Hygiene Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Government Buildings, Hook Rise South, Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 7NF.

Offences created by this instrument

Any person who contravenes any provision of these Regulations shall be guilty of an offence regulation 26(1) · Revoked · Strict liability
Any person guilty of an offence by virtue of regulation 4(2) or (3) or 24(1)(a) or (b) shall be liable on summary… regulation 26(2) · Revoked · Strict liability

What Parliament said about it

Contributions, debates and written statements mentioning this instrument by name. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Animal Slaughter (Religious Methods) Commons · Westminster Hall · 4 November 2014 · Dr Matthew Offord (Hendon) (Con)
Can my hon. Friend confirm that the shochet holds two licences? One is issued by the Food Standards Agency and the other by the Rabbinical Commission for the Licensing of Shochetim. That rabbinical commission is a statutory body established by Parliament under the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995.
Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 Lords · Lords Chamber · 15 December 2015 · Lord De Mauley (Con)
My Lords, this country has always prided itself on being at the forefront of the preservation of animal welfare, especially at the point of slaughter. That was why the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995—the regulations which preceded WATOK—contained, in addition to rules to implement the then EU directive, national rules, including for religious slaughter, which gave greater protection for animals than was contained in the directive. Therefore my first question for my noble friend is: can he confirm that those national rules will all remain in place under WATOK? I…
Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 Lords · Lords Chamber · 15 December 2015
Before the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations, which I shall refer to as WATOK, came into force last month, the relevant domestic legislation was the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995, normally referred to as WASK. WASK implemented the relevant EU directive, but it also contained national rules which afforded greater protection for animals.
Draft Mandatory Use Of Closed Circuit Television In Slaughterhouses (England) Regulations 2018 Commons · General Committees · 30 April 2018 · George Eustice
We have designed it in such a way that we will trust the FSA official veterinarian to make that final judgment call and to ensure that the abattoirs that they are responsible for inspecting comply with the legislation. Will I potentially end up with letters from people complaining? Quite possibly. Will I have to get involved? Quite likely. But the intention is that the FSA OVs will lead on that. The hon. Gentleman asked who would be responsible for inspecting the recordings. Again, that will be the official veterinarians. He referred to local authorities, but it is important to recognise…

How Parliament handled it

Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.

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