Get a Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) activity code

To work outside a Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouse, you must apply for a Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) licence.

Find out more about slaughtering outside a Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouse.

How to get activity codes

When you apply for a WATOK licence, you must provide an activity code for each type of animal and operation it will cover.

To get the activity codes:

1. Find the reference letter for the species, for example, ‘A’ for cattle.

2. Find the activity number for the operation in the tables, for example, ‘11’ for using a penetrative captive bolt device.

3. Combine the reference letter and activity number to create the activity code, for example, ‘A11’ for using a penetrative captive bolt device on cattle.

Red meat

The reference letter for the following species is:

• A - for cattle, including water buffalo and bison
• V - for calves
• B - for horses, includes mules and donkeys
• C - for sheep and goats
• D - for pigs, including farmed wild boar
• E - for large game, including feral wild boar, deer, alpacas, llamas and guanaco

White meat: poultry, ratites and lagomorphs

The reference letter for the following species is:

• K - for chicken and guinea fowl
• L - for quail
• M - for turkey
• N - for ratites, including ostrich, emu and rhea
• Q - for ducks
• P - for geese
• R - for lagomorphs (rabbits and hares)