CCTV cameras in abattoirs and farm facilities have been shown to improve welfare outcomes through deterrence and compliance monitoring, with mandatory requirements now in place in England.
CCTV monitoring in slaughterhouses and farm settings represents a welfare intervention that works through both deterrence and detection. The deterrence effect - the knowledge that behaviour is being recorded and reviewed - modifies the behaviour of slaughterhouse workers who might otherwise engage in welfare violations when they believe they are unobserved. The detection effect catches welfare violations that do occur, enabling enforcement action that both addresses the immediate harm and creates consequences that deter future violations. Evidence from the first years of mandatory CCTV in English slaughterhouses showed both improvements in welfare compliance and identification of previously undetected welfare violations. The welfare benefit is greatest during high-risk periods including lairage management, stunning, and shackling - where individual animal handling decisions have immediate welfare consequences. Extensions to farm-level CCTV and independent access to footage by animal welfare charities and researchers would extend the welfare benefits of transparency beyond slaughter to the full production system. Consumer-facing live streaming from farms represents a commercial transparency initiative that may have welfare benefits through the combination of consumer monitoring and producer accountability.