The Humane Slaughter Association

The Humane Slaughter Association – providing technical advice and support for over a century

Risks to animal welfare increase when animals leave the farm, for transport, marketing and slaughter. The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) has been hard at work in this area for over a century and a significant force in bringing about fundamental and long-lasting improvements in food animal welfare, many of which we now take for granted.

The charity is an independent scientific and technical organisation internationally recognised for its livestock expertise and provides education and training in the fields of transport, marketing and slaughter in the United Kingdom and around the world.

Can we help you?

Education and Training – The HSA’s education and training courses are designed to suit personnel from food processing plants, regulatory bodies, educational establishments, smallholders and hobby farmers, enforcement agencies, animal welfare groups, and also members of the general public who have an interest in the subject. Courses are run by licensed personnel, who have both theoretical and practical knowledge of animal slaughter. The courses and lectures can be tailored to suit specific requirements and can be delivered at any suitable venue in the UK or abroad.

As part of its education and training initiatives, the charity also produces various print and video guidance publications. There is also the charity’s Technical Note series which can be downloaded free-of-charge from the HSA website .

These guidance and technical notes have been taken up widely by the industry and have been found to be very helpful for training and promotion of humane operation practices.

Advice- The HSA offers independent advice on animal welfare matters at markets, during transport and at slaughter in addition to handling specific requests for advice from members of the general public. The charity is internationally recognised and provides advice to industry, government bodies, international food business and academia.

Assessments - The HSA can also provide a welfare assessment service to slaughterhouses and livestock markets, at the request of the business operator. Assessments can be provided of some or all live animal areas of the processing plant or livestock market, along with suggestions for improvement where necessary.

The HSA is often approached for advice on animal welfare aspects of the operation of equipment or systems for handling, transport or killing of livestock. We welcome opportunities to observe and assess the operation of new or modified technologies or systems used in the handling, transport or killing of farmed food animals.

If you require advice on a particular matter or would like to discuss something relevant to your facility, please contact the HSA office at 01582 831919 or info@hsa.org.uk.

Charity Registered in England and Wales no 1159690 : Charitable Incorporated Organisation

Where to find us