Casualty slaughter - guidance for farmers and hauliers
(for Scotland)
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The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 makes it an offence to transport an animal unless it is fit for the intended journey and suitable provision has been made for its care during the journey and on arrival at its destination. If there is any doubt over fitness, veterinary advice should be sought. There is no obligation for a slaughterhouse to accept casualty animals and arrangements with the slaughterhouse management must be made before sending in any such animal.
A live animal (if fit to be transported), known or suspected to be injured or showing signs of abnormality, must be accompanied to a slaughterhouse by a food chain information declaration, completed by the owner or person in charge of the animal.
Animals slaughtered outside a licensed slaughterhouse will only be eligible for human consumption if they were otherwise healthy animals which have suffered an accident and are unable to be transported live to a slaughterhouse for welfare reasons. Such animals must be examined by a veterinary surgeon ante mortem and must then be accompanied by an emergency slaughter declaration completed by the animal owner (or his/her agent) and the veterinary surgeon who examined the animal subject to emergency slaughter.
