Mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses improves welfare compliance by deterring abuse and enabling remote monitoring. Its adoption is expanding but remains incomplete globally.
Slaughterhouses handle enormous numbers of animals under time pressure, in conditions that make welfare violations easy to conceal. CCTV monitoring changes this dynamic fundamentally: operators who know footage is reviewed modify behavior accordingly. The UK experience demonstrates that mandatory CCTV with independent access to footage meaningfully reduces welfare violations and provides evidence for prosecution when violations occur. This is a welfare intervention with strong evidence of effectiveness and broad public support. The barriers to wider adoption are primarily industry resistance, not scientific uncertainty — making this a clear target for consumer and regulatory advocacy.