Minister Staghouwer (LNV) informs the House of Representatives about the use of resources to strengthen the position of the NVWA. In 2022, 30 million euros will be structurally available to strengthen (digital) supervision.
Strengthening the foundation
Innovations in the area of technical and team consultation, quality data and/or information for risk analysis and insight into compliance of the various target groups.
Recruitment
By 2022, some 250 FTEs will have joined. The NVWA strives for a staffing level that is fully in line with the extra 30 million as from the end of this year. This will strengthen supervision.
Effective and innovative use of resources
Smarter and more innovative deployment of supervision is being investigated. For instance, by using digital/administrative supervision, remote supervision, audits, real-time monitoring and the deployment of cameras and drones.
He also addresses, among other things, the monitoring of the transportworthiness of animals, the motions on slaughter speed, camera surveillance in slaughterhouses, penalties for abuses in slaughterhouses, regional small-scale slaughterhouses, CO2 stunning in pig slaughterhouses and monitoring reptile fairs. See:
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NVWA keeps a close watch on unstunned slaughter
Veterinarians of the NVWA keep a close watch on the killing of animals during the Islamic festival of Sacrifice. The NVWA, the police and the Safety regions carry out extra checks to see that companies and persons comply with the rules for animal welfare and food safety.
This year the Feast of Sacrifice took place from Saturday 9 July to Monday 11 July. During these days 45 slaughterhouses in the Netherlands were allowed to slaughter animals. The animals, mainly sheep, but also goats and cattle, were only allowed to be slaughtered in these recognised slaughterhouses.
In the EU, an animal that is slaughtered must be stunned before being killed. If an animal is slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, it may be killed without stunning under certain conditions. From 1 January 2018, the rules from the 'Covenant on Unstunned Slaughtering according to Religious Rites' apply, as they are also legally laid down in the Animal Keepers Decree.
During the Offering Festival, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the police did not find any illegal slaughterhouses or any serious breaches in the field of animal welfare and food safety. There were only a few minor infringements such as missing I&R registrations.
