Abattoir owners feel 'bribed' into installing CCTV
Abattoir owners in Wales say that new grant funding from the Welsh Government feels more like a bribe.
The Welsh Government has made £1.1m available to small and medium-sized slaughterhouses to support welfare-friendly infrastructure and facilities.
This includes the installation and upgrading of CCTV monitoring systems.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: "Financial barriers to installing CCTV was one of the key responses we received during the consultation."
However, small and medium-sized slaughterhouses say they now now feel forced to introduce the cameras nonetheless, in order to gain from the grant funding.
Eight out of 26 slaughterhouses in Wales currently have CCTV systems installed.
Machynlleth butcher William Lloyd Williams, who first obtained his slaughter license 40 years ago, said he feels there is more doubt than ever about his abilities to run his family business.
He said: "Money will be made available, but that money will go towards placing CCTV systems in your abattoir. It's something that, following a long consultation, the Welsh Government decided not to legislate on due to concerns with the industry."
He added the government needed to "stop fantasising that this will sort out all their animal welfare issues".
"This money, it feels more like a bribe," he said.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Government added: "CCTV installation and upgrade is one of a number of investments that will be eligible for funding but a full list has yet to be finalised."
Cig Oen Caron slaughterhouse owner Huw Evans feels he is being forced to introduce something that will not improve his abattoir business.
"I think if you read the letter that came out to us, the undertone there is that we will have to put in CCTV to have our grant application funding looked at more favourably," he said.