Press Releases

HSA input into Red Tractor’s consultation helps to deliver changes to pig standards

23 July 2021

The Humane Slaughter Association was one of a number of key stakeholders to respond to a Review of Standards consultation led by Red Tractor earlier this year. As a result of the consultation, the Red Tractor Board has agreed new and revised farm standards for pig welfare, including new training requirements covering the handling of pigs and the use of veterinary medicines. These will come into effect from 1st November this year.

One of the key changes has been a revision of training to ensure stock people are robustly trained on pig euthanasia to ensure best practice is maintained. Initial euthanasia training must now be carried out by a vet or via an HSA course. Where a mechanical device is used for piglet euthanasia, Red Tractor has aligned its requirements with the HSA’s guidance to ensure effectiveness.

The HSA’s Technical Director Charlie Mason said: “The more people who receive this training the better. Having the skills and confidence to carry out this difficult, but critically important, work means that diseased, injured and moribund animals will be spared avoidable suffering, once it is deemed their condition is not recoverable.”

The HSA has gained an international reputation for being a knowledgeable and practical organisation, with a sound understanding of livestock and livestock handling. The charity is respected for its training and education work, as well as its focus on science-based solutions and the support it has given to scientific and technical development in its field. Educational materials, in a variety of formats and languages, for all those responsible for the welfare of animals in markets, during transport, slaughter and emergency killing for disease control, continue to be developed.

Further information on the resources and training available, including the online guides Emergency Slaughter, Humane Killing of Livestock using Firearms, Captive-
bolt Stunning of Livestock and Humane Handling of Livestock can be found here –https://www.hsa.org.uk/publications

-ENDS-

Note to Editors:
The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) is an independent charity recognised internationally for promoting scientific, technical and educational advances towards improving the welfare of food animals worldwide at slaughter, killing, marketing and transport.
Its work includes researching, refining and demonstrating humane slaughter methods, publishing material such as guidelines, best practice, books and videos, funding research projects and the development of equipment. Specialist technical staff provide expert and practical advice on all welfare issues relating to food animals.

The HSA is funded by voluntary donations, subscriptions and legacies. For more information about the HSA’s work call 01582 831919, email info@hsa.org.uk or visit www.hsa.org.uk

Red Tractor’s Standards
Red Tractor is the UK’s largest food and farming scheme and since it was founded in 2000, they have continued to improve standards across all sectors that they cover from pork to pumpkins and beef to barley.

The Red Tractor assurance covers the entire food supply chain and they work with over 450 independent inspectors to ensure the most robust assessments possible.
These inspectors are all appropriately trained and sufficiently experienced – together, they conduct over 60,000 inspections a year.

The Red Tractor logo can only be used on food that has been produced, transported, stored and packed to Red Tractor standards and licensing rules. The standards in all farming sectors (such as chicken, dairy or vegetables) have been agreed by a panel of experts to ensure that their standards are as robust as possible.

HSA webinar to address issues and potential solutions related to the decline in small and medium sized abattoirs

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