General requirements
- Handle animals humanely during unloading and lairaging
Northern Ireland Statutory Rule
2014
United Kingdom
The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014
At a glance
What's here
47 compliance obligations
What this Act requires
Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.
Schedules
Inspection of animals
- Inspect every animal morning and evening
Animals which have experienced pain or suffering and unweaned animals
- Kill injured or unweaned animals immediately
Animals delivered other than in containers
- Handle animals delivered loose with care and kill without delay
Moving animals with care
- Move animals with care and lead individually when necessary
Instruments for guiding animals
- Use guiding instruments only for guiding animals and only briefly
Lairaging of animals
- Feed lairaged animals without unnecessary disturbance
Suspending poultry
- Ensure shackled poultry are relaxed before stunning or killing
Restraining Operations
- Position animals correctly for head stunning or killing
General requirements
- Ensure stunning/killing equipment is used for rapid and effective results, and no simple stunning without immediate kill
Exposure to gas – pigs
- Ensure gas stunner equipment, lighting, monitoring and emergency access for pigs
General requirements
- Ensure suitable facilities, equipment and maintenance for humane killing
Exposure to gas – poultry
- Ensure safe gas stunning of poultry and maintain equipment
Animals delivered other than in containers
- Ensure unloading equipment is safe and ramps are as level as possible
Lairages other than field lairages
- Provide adequate lairage pens, ventilation and feeding equipment at slaughterhouse
Field lairages
- Keep field lairage safe and provide adequate feeding equipment
Shackle lines
- Keep shackle lines and poultry processing equipment accessible
Stunning pens
- Ensure stunning pens for adult cattle meet construction requirements
Facilities for horses
- Provide separate horse-killing room and safe loose box in lairage
Facilities for horses
- Provide separate killing room and safe loose boxes for horses
General requirements
- Handle animals humanely during unloading and lairaging
Inspection of animals
- Inspect animals twice daily (morning and evening)
Animals which have experienced pain or suffering and unweaned animals
- Kill suffering or unweaned animals immediately
Emergency killing
- Kill non-walking animals where they lie — do not drag them
Animals delivered other than in containers
- Ensure humane handling and lairaging of animals delivered without containers
Moving animals with care
- Move animals with care and lead individually when necessary
Instruments to guide animals
- Use animal guiding instruments only for guiding and only briefly
Lairaging of animals
- Provide bedding, water, food, and space for animals in lairage
Handling of animals delivered in containers
- Handle animals in containers with care
Killing of animals delivered in containers
- Kill animals in containers promptly and provide water and food if delayed
Restraining operations
- Position animals correctly for stunning equipment
General requirements
- Use stunning/killing equipment for rapid, effective results
Exposure to gas – pigs
- Ensure safe and humane gas stunning of pigs meets all equipment and monitoring standards
General requirements
- Ensure safe unloading, premises, and effective stunning equipment
Exposure to gas – poultry
- Ensure gas stunning kills poultry and meet equipment and notice requirements
Animals delivered other than in containers
- Ensure safe unloading and handling facilities for animals delivered without containers
Lairages other than field lairages
- Provide safe and adequate lairage facilities for animals
Field lairages
- Maintain field lairage with shelter, water, lighting and clean conditions
Shackle lines
- Design and position shackle lines to minimise obstruction and ensure access for poultry welfare
Stunning pens
- Ensure stunning pens for adult bovine animals meet design standards
Use and maintenance of restraining facilities for non-stun slaughter
- Use and maintain restraining facilities for non-stun slaughter
Handling of sheep, goats and bovine animals during slaughter
- Ensure proper timing and backup stunning for non-stun religious slaughter of sheep, goats and bovine animals
Handling birds after slaughter
- Wait before dressing or stimulating birds slaughtered without stunning
Animals delivered other than in containers
- Ensure safe animal handling infrastructure during killing
Lairages other than field lairages
- Ensure lairage has safe flooring, backup ventilation, adequate lighting, and drinking water
Field lairages
- Ensure field lairage has protection, lighting and drinking facilities
Shackle lines
- Design shackle lines to minimise distress and comply with max suspension times
Browse 59 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Interpretation
The driving of animals
General requirement
Restraining bovine animals
Scope
Shackle lines
Penetrative captive bolt
Non-penetrative captive bolt
Percussive blow to the head
Electrical stunning other than by waterbath
Electrical stunning by waterbath
Bleeding or pithing
Killing of horses
Interpretation
The lifting or dragging of animals
The driving of animals
Scope
Instruments to make animals move
Treatment of animals
General requirement
Restraining bovine animals
Electric Currents
Tying legs
Suspending animals
Exemptions
Shackle lines
Penetrative captive bolt
Non-penetrative captive bolt
Percussive blow to the head
Electrical stunning other than by waterbath
Electrical stunning by waterbath
Exposure to gas – prohibition
Bleeding or pithing
Horses
Surplus chicks in hatchery waste
Interpretation
General prohibition
Restraint of bovine animals
Method of slaughter
Method of slaughter
Interpretation
Scope
Exemptions
Humane killing
Poultry, rabbits or hares bled for private domestic consumption
Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004
The Meat (Official Controls Charges) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
Gangmasters Licensing (Exclusions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014
Application
Transitional certificates
A person to whom paragraph 2 applies may apply for...
A person to whom paragraph 3 applies is not required...
Conditions for a transitional certificate
Grant of a transitional certificate
Withdrawal of transitional certificate and review
Period of validity of a transitional certificate
Electrical stunning other than by waterbath
Electrical stunning by waterbath
Exposure to gas
Browse 39 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
Citation and commencement
Expiry
Interpretation
The competent authority
Requirement for a certificate or temporary certificate
Operations which require a certificate or temporary certificate
Certificates
Conditions for a certificate
Temporary certificates
Conditions for a temporary certificate
Grant of certificates and temporary certificates
Refusal to grant a certificate or temporary certificate
Suspension or revocation of a certificate or temporary certificate
Modification of a certificate
Refusal to modify a certificate
Review by the competent authority
WASK licences
Additional requirements for slaughterhouses
Additional requirements for killing animals other than in slaughterhouses
Additional requirements for slaughtering animals in accordance with religious rites
Killing animals other than those to which the EU Regulation applies
Depopulation operations
Offences
Obstruction offences
Offences by bodies corporate
Penalties
Inspectors
Power to enter premises
Warrants
Power to inspect and seize
Enforcement notices
Appeals against enforcement notices
Power of a district council to prosecute
Time limits for prosecutions
Consequential amendments
Transitional provisions: certificates
Transitional provisions: slaughterhouses
Review
Revocations
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