Casualty slaughter - guidance for farmers and hauliers
(for England and Wales)
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Casualty animals must not be transported unless they are fit for the intended journey. In the case of doubt, 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.
