Official Controls in Action: Animal Welfare Concern Leads to Successful Prosecution

Much of the work carried out by Official Veterinarians takes place behind the scenes, but a recent case involving one of our OVs shows just how important that work can be.

After an injured cow was presented at an abattoir, a HallMark Official Veterinarian identified concerns about the animal’s welfare and reported them for further investigation. The case was subsequently investigated by the relevant Local Authority and resulted in the successful prosecution of the person responsible for the animal.

Identifying and Reporting the Concern

Official Veterinarians have an important role in protecting animal welfare at the time of killing. This includes assessing animals presented at approved establishments and reporting concerns where there may have been a breach of welfare requirements.

In this case, our OV was concerned about the condition of the cow and the circumstances in which it had arrived at the abattoir. They followed the FSA’s instructions in the Manual for Official Controls which included recording the relevant information as evidence and referred the matter so that it could be investigated further.

The Local Authority then investigated the circumstances surrounding the animal and how it had come to be presented at the abattoir.

This ultimately led to a successful prosecution, with the individual responsible receiving fines and costs totalling more than £4,000.

Why Official Controls Matter

Cases like this are a good example of why vigilance at every stage of the food chain is so important. An OV noticing a problem, recording what they have seen and reporting it can provide the evidence needed for the relevant authorities to investigate and, where necessary, take action.

The work of Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors involves much more than carrying out routine inspections and checks. Every day, our teams use their knowledge and experience to make decisions that can have a direct impact on animal welfare, animal health, food safety and public health.

Most of this work understandably receives little public attention. However, this case shows what can happen when concerns are identified and acted upon.

We are very proud of our colleague for recognising the welfare concern and making sure it was reported, and of the HallMark teams delivering Official Controls every day.

It is also a useful reminder of something we encourage throughout HallMark: if something doesn’t look right, raise it.

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The successful prosecution has also been reported by the Wiltshire Times:

Farmer fined thousands after injured cow taken to abattoir | Wiltshire Times