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Abattoir approved for non-stun slaughter
meat
The Food Standards Agency approved Cig Menai Cymru, an abattoir in Caernarfon, to carry out slaughter without pre-stunning.

FSA approves Welsh abattoir to slaughter without pre-stunning, BVA confirms

An abattoir in Wales has been approved to carry out non-stun slaughter, the BVA has revealed.

This week, Rebecca Evans, the Welsh deputy minister for farming and food, wrote to the BVA to confirm the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has approved
Cig Menai Cymru, an abattoir in Caernarfon, to carry out slaughter without pre-stunning - a practice the BVA is campaigning to ban.

Ms Evans said the Welsh Government is "in dialogue with a private company regarding job creation at an abattoir in Caernarfon".

BVA has accused the Welsh Government of failing to answer questions about the abattoir and being 'out of touch' with the public.

The veterinary association said it is "concerned that the Welsh Government is considering using public money to support the company without prioritising animals’ welfare and the damage done to the image and reputation of the Welsh meat industry if they knowingly support a company that doesn’t stun before killing."

Rob Davies, president of the BVA Welsh branch, said: "I would appeal to Welsh farmers to consider the damage done to the image and reputation of Welsh meat if they knowingly take or send animals to an abattoir which doesn’t stun before killing, whether a local abattoir or a distant one. Welsh meat must be welfare friendly from birth to slaughter."

Under EU and UK law, all animals must be stunned before slaughter to render them insensible to pain, but an exemption in the law allows this practice in certain religious communities.

The Welsh Government is said to have failed to answer questions about the species or throughput in the abattoir. BVA says without this information it is impossible to properly assess how much of the meat is being used for religious practice and how much is entering the general food chain.

In addition, the BVA says it asked the government how it will ensure that meat derived from animals that were not pre-stunned, only goes to the religious communities to which the legal exemption applies. According to the BVA, this question was ignored.

Rob Davies, president of the BVA Welsh branch, said: "BVA calls upon the Welsh Government to state clearly that it will not spend public money on abattoirs which don’t stun animals before killing them, either now or at any time in the future."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "The welfare of animals is a priority for the Welsh Government, as demonstrated by our Animal Health and Welfare Framework which was introduced by the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food in July 2014.
 
"We have implemented EC Regulation 1099/2009 on protection of animals at time of killing."

An e-petition by the BVA campaigning for a ban on non-stun slaughter has now reached more than 96,000 signatures.

 

Article changed on 23.01.15 at the request of the Welsh Government to include a statement from a spokesperson and to clarify that the FSA, not the Welsh Government, approved Cig Menai Cymru to carry out non-stun slaughter.

 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.