Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Accepted
We welcome the ban on export for slaughter and fattening as an important step in...
Conclusion
We welcome the ban on export for slaughter and fattening as an important step in protecting animal welfare. We understand that the number of animal movements this ban will affect is small, however, we are concerned that there may be unintended consequences. Particularly, that it may create longer journeys, which may increase costs for some UK farms and could have the unintended effect of worsening animal welfare. We are also concerned that this will prohibit the movement of livestock for breeding purposes. (Paragraph 108) Moving animals across borders 39
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the minimal cost impact of the ban and commits to adapting the journey log system to allow for permitted movements like breeding by requiring evidence of purpose, working with industry to implement this.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The number of animals exported for slaughter represents only a very small proportion of the total number of animals processed in the UK every year. In 2020 slaughter exports from Great Britain to the EU corresponded to around 0.02% of livestock slaughtered in the UK and less than 0.2% of sheep produced in the UK. The Government does not accept that the ban on exports for slaughter will create longer journeys. The shortest direct to slaughter export journey from the UK to continental Europe in 2018 involved a journey time of 18 hours. Most journeys to slaughter in the UK are significantly shorter. The Government’s view is that animals should be slaughtered as close as possible to the point of origin. Trends in data indicate that the number of animals being slaughtered in the UK has increased year on year as some slaughterhouses have expanded their production. This indicates that, overall, current slaughterhouse capacity should be able to absorb the additional supply of animals that are currently exported. The Government engages regularly with stakeholders from the livestock production and meat processing sectors, including any concerns about capacity and cost. We will continue to work closely with the Abattoir Sector Group. The Government welcomes the Farm Animal Welfare Committee’s recommendation on the introduction of mobile abattoirs, and we support work on innovative solutions to address the challenges faced because of the decline in small abattoirs. The Rural Development Programme for England Growth Programme, delivered by the Rural Payments Agency, is currently supporting a farmer- led mobile abattoir project which is trialling the use of a compact system for the on-farm slaughter of livestock. The project is due to be operational later this year and, if successful, could be replicated elsewhere. Defra should work with the organisations and businesses that will be affected by the ban on export for slaughter to ensure that the ban is introduced in a pragmatic way that will not adversely affect rural businesses or animal welfare. (Paragraph 108) Our impact assessment indicates that the current volumes of live animals exported for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain are minimal in comparison to total volumes of live animal trade for all purposes between Great Britain and the EU. The cost of this reduced trade is estimated to be around £8.4m across the 10-year appraisal period, around £0.7m per annum.
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