Rural Development Sub-Committee
Inquiry into animal welfare and meat hygiene
The Rural Development Sub-Committee is undertaking an inquiry into animal welfare and meat hygiene at abattoirs and slaughterhouses in Wales.
The aim of the Committee’s inquiry is to assess the effectiveness of current arrangements for ensuring animal welfare and meat hygiene standards in abattoirs and slaughterhouses, and what further action, if any, could be taken to ensure the proper implementation of the relevant legislation.
The Committee is keen to hear the views of as many people with an interest in the subject as possible and would like to invite you to submit a written response to the questions in the attached annex.
The Committee will use the written evidence, along with oral evidence taken at a number of meetings to be held in early 2010, to scrutinise and make recommendations to the Welsh Assembly Government on the issue. The meetings will be held in public and will also be available on Senedd TV which can be accessed from our website. A full verbatim transcript of each hearing will also be produced. All the written evidence we receive will be published on our website (subject to the disclaimer at the end of the attached annex).
As we are keen to hear the views of as many people and organisations as possible, please pass this letter on to anyone you think would like to respond to it. An electronic copy of the consultation letter can also be found on our website at:
http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-committees/bus-committees-third1/bus-committees-third-rd-home.htm
We welcome contributions in Welsh and English. Please submit your evidence in electronic form if possible.
I would be grateful if you could submit any written evidence by Friday, 8th January 2010 to Aled Elwyn Jones, Clerk to the Committee, at:
ruraldev.comm@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Hard copies should be sent to the above address.
Consultation questions for the inquiry into animal welfare and meat hygiene:
Howeffective are the current enforcement structures on animal welfare and meat hygiene standards in abattoirs and slaughterhouses?
How should veterinary supervision arrangements be delivered in abattoirs and slaughterhouses in Wales?
How effective is the relationship between the Meat Hygiene Service and the industry?
Could the Welsh Assembly Government take any further action to ensure the proper implementation of relevant legislation on meat hygiene and animal welfare in abattoirs and slaughterhouses in Wales?
Please note:
It is normal practice for the National Assembly to publish evidence provided to a committee. Consequently your response may appear in a report or in supplementary evidence to a report. The National Assembly will not publish information which it considers to be personal data.
In the event of a request for information submitted under UK legislation, it may be necessary to disclose the information that you provide. This may include information which has previously been removed by the National Assembly for publication purposes.
If you are providing any information, other than personal data, which you feel is not suitable for public disclosure, it is up to you to stipulate which parts should not be published, and to provide a reasoned argument to support this. The National Assembly will take this into account when publishing information or responding to requests for information.
