Welfare laws at fish slaughterhouses and processing sites in Scotland: EIR release

Information requested

1. Are the Scottish Ministers the competent authority for the purpose of conducting official controls to verify compliance with welfare laws at fish slaughterhouses and fish processing sites in Scotland?

2. If the answer to question 1 is ‘no’, please could you confirm who is the competent authority responsible for official controls to verify compliance with welfare laws at fish slaughterhouses and fish processing sites in Scotland?

3. If the answer to question 1 is ‘yes’, please could you confirm if the power to conduct official controls at fish slaughterhouses has been delegated and to whom?

Response

The Scottish Government is the authority responsible for setting welfare standards for the purposes of safeguarding the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing in Scotland.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are responsible for enforcement of assimilated EU Regulation 1099/2009 and the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Scotland) Regulations 2012 on behalf of Scottish Ministers under agency arrangements at places where fish are killed.

About FOI

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