4. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the installation of CCTVs in slaughterhouses? OAQ52679

All the larger slaughterhouses in Wales have CCTV. Footage can be accessed if it's suspected welfare standards are not being met. Investments to safeguard animal welfare, including CCTV systems, will be prioritised in a grant scheme for small and medium-sized slaughterhouses, which opened to expressions of interest on 30 September.

I welcome your commitment to this, Cabinet Secretary, but I do keep getting, as I'm sure other people do, lots and lots of letters on this very subject from concerned individuals, and I share those concerns. I do remember you saying that you were looking into whether or not you would introduce mandatory CCTV in all Welsh slaughterhouses. I appreciate, as you've just said, that the larger ones already do have that, but I'm keen to know if you've reached a decision on whether you will make it compulsory in Wales, to bring us in line with the recent changes that have happened in England.

Thank you. You're quite right, initially, I am supporting a voluntary approach and I'm making this feasible through the grant support that I just mentioned, because I was told by some of the smaller slaughterhouses that one of the barriers for introducing CCTV was finance, so it's taking away a large chunk of those funding concerns. I think a voluntary approach is more likely to succeed in achieving the goal of having effective CCTV coverage because I think then the slaughterhouses themselves will take a positive decision. I've had some very interesting discussions with owners of some of our smaller slaughterhouses. I visited with the Presiding Officer one in her constituency in Tregaron and had some very robust and interesting discussions. So, in answer to the question of have I ruled out making CCTV mandatory in the longer term, no, I haven't. I think the uptake of the funding that we've just announced will have an influence on whether I do that. 

Of course, this has been a hot topic in the Petitions Committee, where it has been proven that there is an overwhelming response across Wales for the installation of CCTV. Whilst I appreciate this is progressing, CCTV in slaughterhouses will definitely ensure that mistreatment is detected and dealt with. This is an important step in ensuring that we have very high levels of protection on animal welfare in Wales and that we can set examples to others. You have mentioned the £1.1 million food business investment scheme, a package of grant aid for small and medium-sized slaughterhouses in Wales, but what processes are you going to put in place to ensure that those receiving the grant aid do use that money for installing CCTV, and what are you going to do about the ones who actually are just flaunting this guidance and support for this move, in terms of those smaller slaughterhouses who are just against installing it? What have people got to hide?

I think it's really important to know there are a number of controls already in place in slaughterhouses. Official veterinarians are present in every slaughterhouse when animals are being slaughtered to ensure compliance with regulations. In response to your question about how do we make sure that funding is used for the purpose it's been applied for, obviously, there's very stringent monitoring of this, but we're also working with these small and medium-sized abattoirs in the first place to help them put the bid in and to make sure then that, as you say, that money is used for the correct purpose. We've given extensive guidance, for instance. There are very few slaughterhouses now that don't have CCTV. So, it is possible to work with them on a much closer basis than if there was a large number.