Layout, construction and equipment of slaughterhouses
1. Business operators shall ensure that the layout and construction of slaughterhouses and the equipment used therein comply with the rules set out in Annex II.
2. For the purposes of this Regulation, business operators shall, when requested, submit to the competent authority referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 for each slaughterhouse at least the following:
(a)
the maximum number of animals per hour for each slaughter line;
(b)
the categories of animals and weights for which the restraining or stunning equipment available may be used;
(c)
the maximum capacity for each lairage area.
The competent authority shall assess the information submitted by the operator in accordance with the first subparagraph when approving the slaughterhouse.
3. The following may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25(2):
(a)
derogations from the rules set out in Annex II for mobile slaughterhouses;
(b)
amendments necessary to adapt Annex II to take account of scientific and technical progress.
Pending the adoption of derogations referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph, the Member States may establish or maintain national rules applying to mobile slaughterhouses.
4. Community guidelines for the implementation of paragraph 2 of this Article and Annex II may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25(2).
Handling and restraining operations at slaughterhouses
1. Business operators shall ensure that the operational rules for slaughterhouses set out in Annex III are complied with.
2. Business operators shall ensure that all animals that are killed in accordance with Article 4(4) without prior stunning are individually restrained; ruminants shall be mechanically restrained.
Systems restraining bovine animals by inversion or any unnatural position shall not be used except in the case of animals slaughtered in accordance with Article 4(4) and provided that they are fitted with a device that restricts both the lateral and vertical movement of the head of the animal and are adjustable to be adapted to the size of the animal.
3. The following methods of restraint shall be prohibited:
(a)
suspending or hoisting conscious animals;
(b)
mechanical clamping or tying of the legs or feet of animals;
(c)
severing the spinal cord, such as by the use of a puntilla or dagger;
(d)
the use of electric currents to immobilise the animal that do not stun or kill it under controlled circumstances, in particular, any electric current application that does not span the brain.
However, points (a) and (b) shall not apply to the shackles used for poultry.
4. To take account of scientific and technical progress, including an opinion of EFSA; Annex III may be amended in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25(2).
5. Community guidelines for the implementation of the rules set out in Annex III may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25(2).
Monitoring procedures at slaughterhouses
1. For the purposes of Article 5, business operators shall put in place and implement appropriate monitoring procedures in slaughterhouses.
2. The monitoring procedures referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall describe the way the checks referred to in Article 5 have to be carried out and shall include at least the following:
(a)
the name of the persons responsible for the monitoring procedure;
(b)
indicators designed to detect signs of unconsciousness and consciousness or sensibility in the animals; indicators designed to detect the absence of signs of life in the animals slaughtered in accordance with Article 4(4);
(c)
criteria for determining whether the results shown by the indicators referred to in point (b) are satisfactory;
(d)
the circumstances and/or the time when the monitoring must take place;
(e)
the number of animals in each sample to be checked during the monitoring;
(f)
appropriate procedures to ensure that in the event that the criteria referred to in point (c) are not met, the stunning or killing operations are reviewed in order to identify the causes of any shortcomings and the necessary changes to be made to those operations.
3. Business operators shall put in place a specific monitoring procedure for each slaughter line.
4. The frequency of the checks shall take into account the main risk factors, such as changes regarding the types or the size of animals slaughtered or personnel working patterns and shall be established so as to ensure results with a high level of confidence.
5. For the purpose of paragraphs 1 to 4 of this Article, business operators may use monitoring procedures as described in the guides to good practice referred to in Article 13.
6. Community guidelines concerning monitoring procedures in slaughterhouses may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25(2).
Animal welfare officer
1. Business operators shall designate an animal welfare officer for each slaughterhouse to assist them in ensuring compliance with the rules laid down in this Regulation.
2. The animal welfare officer shall be under the direct authority of the business operator and shall report directly to him or her on matters relating to the welfare of the animals. He or she shall be in a position to require that the slaughterhouse personnel carry out any remedial actions necessary to ensure compliance with the rules laid down in this Regulation.
3. The responsibilities of the animal welfare officer shall be set out in the standard operating procedures of the slaughterhouse and effectively brought to the attention of the personnel concerned.
4. The animal welfare officer shall hold a certificate of competence as referred to in Article 21, issued for all the operations taking place in the slaughterhouses for which he or she is responsible.
5. The animal welfare officer shall keep a record of the action taken to improve animal welfare in the slaughterhouse in which he/she carries out his/her tasks. This record shall be kept for at least one year and shall be made available to the competent authority upon request.
6. Paragraphs 1 to 5 shall not apply to slaughterhouses slaughtering less than 1 000 livestock units of mammals or 150 000 birds or rabbits per year.
For the purpose of the first subparagraph, ‘livestock unit’ means a standard measurement unit that allows the aggregation of the various categories of livestock in order to enable them to be compared.
When applying the first subparagraph, Member States shall use the following conversion rates:
(a)
adult bovine animals within the meaning of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) ( 11 ) and equidae: 1 livestock unit;
(b)
other bovine animals: 0,50 livestock unit;
(c)
pigs with a live weight of over 100 kg: 0,20 livestock unit;
(d)
other pigs: 0,15 livestock unit;
(e)
sheep and goats: 0,10 livestock unit;
(f)
lambs, kids and piglets of less than 15 kg live weight: 0,05 livestock unit.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
