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Farming Today: Animal welfare in abattoirs, pet foxes and bovine TB in Wales

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01/09/2016

Animal welfare in abattoirs, pet foxes and bovine TB in Wales

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Animal welfare in abattoirs, pet foxes and bovine TB in Wales

Should abattoirs be made to install CCTV to prevent animal welfare abuse?

Should abattoirs be made to install CCTV to prevent animal welfare abuse? Latest figures show 1,500 serious incidents in the first six months of this year.

There are calls for CCTV monitoring to be made mandatory in abattoirs and livestock transport, to help tackle persistent serious animal welfare breaches. Latest figures from the Food Standards Agency show there were more than 1500 cases in the first six months of this year alone. It could be anything from poor ventilation, to ineffective stunning, and animals arriving wounded or already dead. The FSA says to put this in context, nearly one billion animals are processed in the UK every year, and that some incidents are the result of unavoidable accidents. 

A wildlife hospital in Worcestershire is warning people not to take baby foxes on as pets. The Vale Wildlife Hospital says it's seen an increase in abandoned foxes, as people realise they can't cope with them. 

Ten badger culls are now underway in six counties in England. The Government has extended the policy beyond the initial trial areas in Somerset and Gloucestershire. It's all part of attempts to control TB in cattle. In Wales though the government has taken a different approach and has been vaccinating badgers. But there's a global shortage of the vaccine so the Government is looking at alternatives to control the disease.

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