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Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, announced a tough new animal welfare package to lift animal welfare standards in all domestic abattoirs.
"Under the new requirements, each abattoir will be required to designate an Animal Welfare Officer to be present on the premises to monitor and take responsibility for the welfare of animals. Only employees that have undertaken specific animal welfare officer training will be eligible to be designated", Ms Hodgkinson said.
The new animal welfare package announced today by the NSW Government will ensure the following measures will be imposed as a condition of the abattoir’s licence:
• all domestic abattoirs, by 1 January 2013, are required to designate a trained Animal Welfare Officer to be on the premises while processing is occurring. Only employees that have been trained in the relevant component of the of the MTM11 Australian Meat Industry Training Package will be eligible to be a designated Animal Welfare Officer;
• all relevant employees are required to undertake training in the "stunning, sticking and shackling" component of the MTM11 Australian Meat Industry Training Package by 1 July 2013; and
• all NSW domestic abattoirs are required to comply with the mandatory adoption of Section 2 of the "Industry Animal Welfare Standards for Livestock Processing Establishments preparing meat for human consumption", 2nd Edition.
Thursday May 17, 2012/ Food Authority/ New South Wales.
http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/
