Slaughter inside a Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouse

You need a Certificate of Competence (CoC) or a temporary Certificate of Competence from the FSA to do any of the following slaughtering operations in an FSA-approved slaughterhouse:

• handle animals before they’re restrained
• restrain animals for stunning or killing
• stun animals
• kill an animal with a free bullet for human consumption
• check stunning has worked
• shackle or hoist live animals
• bleed live animals
• slaughter in accordance with religious rites without stunning
• pith a stunned animal
• check pithing has worked

You must have a UK CoC.

You will need to provide evidence of training and examination to apply for a UK CoC.

The FSA will also consider relevant qualifications and CoCs issued in the Republic of Ireland as evidence, but not from other EU member states.

Where requested, the FSA will consider whether qualifications from European Economic Area (EEA) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) are equivalent to UK qualifications.

What your CoC must cover

Your CoC must cover each type of animal you work with and each operation that you carry out.

If you stun animals, your CoC must cover the different types of equipment you use.

Age limits

If you needare to16 add more operations or types17 ofyears animalsold, toyou yourcan CoC,only youapply mustfor get a temporary CoC and complete training and assessment for the additional operation or animal.

Age limits

You can get a temporary or full CoC forto aperform limitedspecific range of operations if you’re 16 or 17 years old which are:operations:

• handlehandling and carecaring offor animals before restraint
• shackleshackling live poultry

ForYou all other operations, you must be 18 years old or overolder to getapply for a temporary or full CoC. for all other operations.

Applying for a temporary or a full CoC

When you apply for a temporary or full CoC, you need to tell the FSA in writing if you’ve ever:

• been convicted of an animal welfare offence
• been refused a licence inor relationa CoC to killingkill an animal or carry out a related operation
• had such a licence revokedor (cancelled)a CoC to kill an animal or carry out a related operation suspended or revoked (cancelled)

Temporary CoC

A temporary CoC is free and is valid for 3 months. You can apply for a temporary CoC if you:

• work in a slaughterhouse
• do not have a full CoC for an operation you’re doing; anddoing
• have registered on an approved training course

You can work in a slaughterhouse with a temporary CoC asif long as you’re supervised by someone who has a full CoC that covers both:

• the types of animals beingyou slaughteredwork with
• the operations you’re carrying out

You can get a temporary CoC from an official vet (OV) at an FSA-approved slaughterhouse.

Apply for a temporary CoC

Temporary CoC: training

To get a temporary CoC, you must register to train with an approved trainer accredited by FDQ.FDQ.

You’ll need a registration number from FDQ to showapply thefor officialyour vettemporary (OVCoC).

Apply evidencefor thata you’vetemporary registeredcertificate beforeof youcompetence canto getslaughter youror temporarykill CoCanimals.

Temporary CoC training

During the 3 months that your temporary CoC is valid, you must:

• complete your training
• successfully pass the assessment

OnceAfter that’syou have done this, you will getreceive a ‘qualificationqualification certificate’.certificate. You can then apply for a full CoC.

Applying for a full CoC

ApplyWhen you apply for a full CoC, you must submit a copy of your qualification certificate.

This certificate must show that you are qualified to perform the operations and work with the types of animals that your CoC will cover.

The FSA will accept:

• a Food and Drink Qualifications (FDQ) qualification certificate
• an equivalent qualification certificate or Certificate of Competence (CoC) issued in the Republic of Ireland (not from other EU member states)
• a qualification certificate from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland that’s equivalent to UK qualifications

Apply for a full certificate of competence to slaughter or kill animals.

You Itmust costspay £25.£25 for your first CoC or £8 to amend or replace an existing CoC.

Adding operations or animals to youran existing full CoC

To costsadd £8.more operations or animals to your existing full CoC:

Slaughtering

1. Get a temporary CoC for the new operations or killinganimals.

2. Complete the required training and pass the assessment.

3. Apply to add the new operations or animals to your full CoC.

Slaughter outside ofa anFood Standards Agency (FSA-approved) approved slaughterhouse

You must have either a Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) licence or a CoC to:

• work as a knackerman or at a knacker’s yard
• slaughter poultry, rabbitsrabbits, or hares on-farm to supply small amounts of meat directdirectly to consumers or local retailers
• cull animals on a farm (except in an emergency, when the animal is injured or has a disease associated with severe pain or suffering and there is no other practical possibility to alleviate this pain or suffering)

You can:

• restrain animals for stunning or killing
• stun animals
• assess if stunning has worked
• shackle or hoist live animals
• bleed live animals
• pith a stunned animal and check it’s effective

Applying for a WATOK licence

Before youapplying can apply for a WATOK licence, you need an assessmentAnimal fromand anPlant Health Agency (APHA) vet.vet assessment.

You must pay £25 for a new licence or £8 to amend an existing licence.

What your licence must cover

Your licence must cover all types of:

• animals you kill
• operations you carry out
• equipment you use

Supervision if you do not have a WATOK licence

Until you have a WATOK licence, you must only carry out these operations when directly supervised by either:

• someone who has a WATOK licence or CoC for that operation
• a vet

You must be 18 or over to get a WATOK licence.

When you do not need a WATOK licence

You do not need a WATOK licence if you:

• kill livestock at home to be eaten by your family
• are directly supervised by a vet
• are directly supervised by a WATOK or relevant CoC-licence holder
• kill an animal in an emergency
• are a vet, killing an animal as part of your job
• kill surplus chicks or embryos in hatchery waste
• kill animals for depopulation, for example in relation to public health, or animal health
• kill an animal in the field using a firearm with a free bullet (like a shotgun), if the animal will not be eaten by people
• kill poultry by cervical dislocation where there are no other methods available and the bird will not be eaten by people – you must do this on the farm where the bird was reared
• kill an animal for reasons that are not covered by the retained EU regulations, such as hunting or fishing

Assessment for a WATOK licence

An APHA vet must assess whether you have sufficient knowledge of the relevant animal welfare regulations and whether you’re competent to:

• carry out the procedure
• use the type of equipment
• work with the type of animal

To contact APHA to arrange an assessment, you will need to follow the guidance notes in the WATOK licence application form. Once APHA receives your form, an APHA vet will be assigned. They will be in touch with you to arrange the assessment.

On completion of the assessment, you will be invoiced for the assessment (per applicant):

• £76 for the first 30 minutes
• £21 for each additional 30 minutes

You must also pay any costs for the vet to travel to your location. Where multiple assessments are carried out at the same visit those costs can be shared between applicants.

Once payment has been received, your original application form will be returned to you with the assessment of competence section completed. The completed form can then be used to apply to FSA for a WATOK licence.

You need to tell the FSA in writing if you’ve ever:

• been convicted of an animal welfare offence
• been refused a licence in relation to killing an animal or a related operation
• had such a licence revoked or suspended

Certificates and licences from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales

If you have a CoC or a WATOK licence issued in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, you can use it in England for the procedures, equipment and animals it covers.

When your CoC or licence can be revoked or suspended

The FSA can cancel or temporarily suspend your CoC or WATOK licence if you do not follow the animal welfare regulations.

Find out more about inspections and penalties for slaughterhouses, knacker’s yards and farms.