CCTV and Abattoirs

CCTV is going to be mandatory in all UK abattoirs as of November 2018 as part of government plans to monitor animal welfare. The news broke in 2017 and caused a stir in the abattoir industry. All slaughterhouses will be required to comply in full by November 5, following an adjustment period of six months to enable businesses to install a suitable CCTV system. Under the new legislation, CCTV needs to be installed to cover any areas where live animals are present. Many of the smaller abattoirs have been concerned by the cost implications of this.

Around 90 years ago, there were over 30,000 slaughterhouses in the UK, and in the 70s, that number plummeted to just 2,000.

Now that number is down to just 179 and it is rapidly decreasing, with less than 31 small abattoirs in the UK.

What will this mean to them?

Some small abattoirs are facing the possibility of having to close as they are unable to commit to the cost. The new legislation that has been put in place by Michael Gove means that all abattoirs, no matter what size, have to have CCTV installed in all areas of the premises where live animals are kept. This is due to some shocking leaked footage from businesses in other parts of the country which appear to show animals in distress.

Our dealings with a local abattoir

After seeing a news piece on a local abattoir about the cost implications and lack of government-funded help, I took it upon myself to contact this company as the prices they had been quoted were way over the top. Our initial phone conversation told me that they didn’t want any more quotes as the quotes they had were too expensive. I found this hard to accept as they are only a small site and knowing my industry, knew we could quote lower. They agreed for me to go and visit the site to discuss our offering.

Overcharging

I have encountered an issue here. As this has become a requirement for abattoirs, it has also come to my attention that several companies have felt the need to overinflate their prices. Aside from the moral issue here, the fact that a small business has expressed concerns over cost, surely as a company providing a solution to a problem, would it not make sense to make the installation as cost-effective as possible? Instead, they have seen £ signs and let greed influence their approach.

As a small business ourselves, this is not our approach. The fact that these slaughterhouses have to have CCTV installed is enough of a headache, without having to find a company that isn't going to rip them off. We have gone into this site with the best of intentions, advised as much as we can and have offered our professional opinion on camera locations so we are not installing too many – to keep the cost down. We have then produced a quote based upon our day to day profit margins, not inflated.

RJS Systems can help

CCTV is a must for any business whether it is mandatory or not and as such we want to make sure it is as affordable and cost-effective as possible. We have 30 years of experience installing CCTV, we take a consultative approach with a non-pushy attitude. We are here to help and we want to ensure you get it right