Surveillance of animal welfare at the slaughterhouse

Surveillance of animal welfare at slaughterhouses belongs to the responsibilities of official veterinarians. During inspections assessing animal welfare excellent companies can be noticed as well as companies showing deficiencies. Insufficient knowledge and attention of the staff and a lack of adequate investments by the management seems to he the main reasons. There is an urgent need to improve the operational quality management systems, the official controls and the basic and advanced training of the staff.