MP joins slaughterhouse CCTV campaign

A FORMER Warrington councillor is among 100 MPs to sign a Parliamentary motion supporting mandatory CCTV in UK slaughterhouses.
Fiona Bruce (pictured), now Conservative MP for Congleton, has signed the Early Day motion tabled by Grahame Morris which has the support of MPs from across the political spectrum.
The motion states: “That this House calls on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals for the mandatory installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) in UK slaughterhouses; notes that a 2014 YouGov poll found that, of those who expressed a view, 87 per cent support mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses; expresses concern that eight of the nine slaughterhouses secretly filmed by Animal Aid have breached the law,
a failure rate of 89 per cent; believes that the introduction of compulsory CCTV in UK slaughterhouses will increase animal protection and allow those caught on film breaking the law to be prosecuted; furthermore thanks the supermarkets for already insisting on CCTV in their slaughterhouse suppliers and welcomes the support of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for the use of CCTV in slaughterhouses as a useful monitoring tool; further notes that plant operators who operate CCTV are keen to demonstrate to FSA officials the high standard to which their operatives work; and further believes other UK slaughterhouses should follow this best practice to maintain the UK’s position as a
world leader on animal welfare standards.”
Campaign group Animal Aid has been campaigning for CCTV for some time, carrying out undercover investigations inside nine slaughterhouses.
The group has the backing of the union representing meat hygiene inspectors and slaughterhouse vets, UNISON, vets including Emma Milne and animal protection groups such as the RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming.
In 2012, two men were jailed for beating and burning pigs with cigarettes as a result of Animal Aid’s footage. Other breaches filmed included: animals being kicked, slapped, stamped on, and picked up by fleeces and ears and thrown into stunning pens; animals being improperly stunned and coming round again, or suffering painful and sadistic electrocution instead of being stunned.
Already, 10 leading UK supermarkets insist that their slaughterhouse suppliers have CCTV installed.
A Number 10 Petition has attracted more than 38,000 signatures to date. It can be found at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/64997.
Kate Fowler, head of campaigns at Animal Aid said: “There is no excuse for the savagery we filmed inside slaughterhouses, and yet it went
on right under the noses of vets stationed there to monitor welfare. Clearly, we need a more robust regulatory system, and CCTV can play an important part in deterring and detecting welfare breaches. We are very grateful for the support of these compassionate MPs, who can see that action must be taken to hold the industry properly to account.”
Fiona Bruce, a solicitor, was formerly spokesperson on finance for the Lib Dem/Conservative coalition on Warrington Borough Council and stood as Conservative Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Warrington South before being selected for Congleton.