Abattoirs in Great Britain

People look for an abattoir for different reasons. A farmer or smallholder may need one for their own animals. A butcher or farm shop may want to know where its meat was killed. Others want to know how slaughterhouses are run and checked.

This page sets out who approves an abattoir, where the official lists are, and the rules that apply inside one.

Who approves an abattoir

In the law on food hygiene, a slaughterhouse is a place used for slaughtering and dressing animals whose meat is meant for people to eat. In England and Wales, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) must approve a slaughterhouse before it starts trading. The FSA says trading without approval is an offence.

When someone applies, one of the FSA's veterinary officials visits to assess the site. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland has the same kind of role.

The official lists

The FSA publishes a list of every approved establishment in England and Wales that handles meat and other foods of animal origin. It updates the list on the first of each month. Each entry gives the approval number, the name and address, the activities the site is approved for and the species it handles.

Slaughterhouses appear on the list alongside cutting plants, cold stores and other approved sites. Northern Ireland has its own list, and Food Standards Scotland keeps the register for Scotland.

The official veterinarian

The FSA checks animal welfare in approved slaughterhouses in England and Wales, on behalf of Defra and the Welsh Government. The FSA says official veterinarians monitor and enforce the welfare rules. Their aim is that animals are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during killing.

FSA staff check how animals are unloaded, handled, held and restrained. They check where stunning equipment is placed and how it is used, how well the stun works and how efficiently animals are bled. Meat hygiene inspectors support the official veterinarian in this work.

Welfare at the time of killing

In England, the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations 2015 sit alongside an older regulation on protecting animals when they are killed. Scotland and Wales have their own regulations.

Defra's guidance says anyone who handles, restrains, stuns or kills animals in a slaughterhouse must hold a certificate of competence for each task they do. When animals arrive, the slaughterhouse's animal welfare officer, or someone reporting to them, must assess the welfare of each animal in each load. Animals must be unloaded as soon as possible and slaughtered without unnecessary delay.

CCTV in slaughterhouses

Since May 2018, slaughterhouse operators in England have had to run CCTV covering every area where live animals are present. The system must give a complete and clear picture of killing and related operations. Operators must keep the footage for 90 days and let inspectors see it.

Scotland and Wales now have their own CCTV regulations, made in 2020 and 2024. The FSA says CCTV is an extra tool for its inspectors. It does not replace watching the work directly.

The marks on the meat

At the slaughterhouse, the FSA applies a health mark to the carcases of cattle, sheep, pigs and similar animals. The FSA says it shows the meat was produced in line with food safety rules. Beef labels must also carry the approval numbers of the slaughterhouse and the cutting plant.

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