Video footage of slaughterhouse operation. Photo – Lehtikuva.
Finnish Food Safety Authority-Evira on Tuesday has decided to launch investigations into the operations of slaughterhouses to determine if they comply with animal welfare legislation.
The Evira took the decision following video footage shown in the Yle investigative programme MOT on Monday.
The video footage obtained from animal rights organisation Oikeutta eläimille showed that animals in the slaughterhouses filmed were treated violently.
Furthermore, Evira said if necessary it will ask the police to investigate the matter.
Video footage of slaughterhouse operations. File Photo – Lehtikuva.
In a release, Evira said that on the basis of the video footage filmed by the animal rights group, authorities have reason to suspect that the slaughterhouses violated animal welfare legislation, which concerns protection of animals at the time of killing.
Evira said it will take measures to prevent the continuation of practices shown in the footage.
Evira obtained in advance the 10-minutes long video footage filmed in the slaughterhouses in secrecy.
According to Eeva-Riitta Wirta, the head of Meat Inspection Unit at Evira, the film successfully captured situations where a veterinary inspector was not always on the spot.
Wirta said that in such cases, the treatment of the animals may be more violent and also short cut to the correct practices may be applied.
According to Wirta, there are surveillance cameras in large abattoirs, however, this is not always the case in the smaller ones. Wirta pointed out that there are many circumstances since 30-40 animals can line up in an hour. One veterinary inspector cannot monitor everything continuously, Wirta explained.
Evira will also investigated the activities of the veterinary inspectors in relation to the concerned footage.
Evira may be forced to take action on the activities of the veterinary inspectors, if inspectors believed that there was violation of animals but failed to intervene.
