27 November 2025
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) was established by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission Regulations 2020. SAWC's terms of reference are to focus on the welfare of wild and companion animals in Scotland, while also providing scientific and ethical advice to the Scottish Government.
This report considers animal welfare in the context of the number and location of abattoirs in Scotland. In particular, it focuses on welfare issues related to the availability of slaughter services in regard to both livestock journey time and welfare at the point of killing. Although primarily concerned with animal welfare, consideration is also given to the wider societal impact of abattoir provision, particularly in rural communities. Having reviewed the present situation and its implications, we make a series of recommendations intended to maintain and improve abattoir provision in Scotland.
The scope of this report extends to terrestrial livestock species. Equids are not included within the scope as the numbers slaughtered per year are relatively small (estimated at less than 1,000 per annum in the UK)
(Source: Scottish Government, 20 November 2025)
Read the full report on the Scottish Government website.