Slaughterhouses are refusing to share CCTV footage of their operations with Food Standards Agency vets

More than 30 slaughterhouses are refusing to let official vets view CCTV footage of animals being killed, prompting concerns that they are hiding illegal acts of cruelty.

Most slaughterhouses have installed CCTV in recent years in response to concerns about poor treatment of animals but many restrict access and fail to store footage, meaning any evidence is deleted.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling for the law to be changed to force all slaughterhouses to install CCTV and give independent vets unrestricted access to the footage.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which employs vets in all slaughterhouses to oversee animal welfare, has admitted that 33 businesses in England and Wales, just over a fifth of those with CCTV, refuse to share it.

Other slaughterhouses