Campaigners calling for CCTV cameras to be compulsory throughout all abattoirs are taking their fight to Holyrood led by the Dowager Duchess of Hamilton.

The patron of the animal welfare charity OneKind wants ministers to bring in new legislation requiring the devices to be installed in key areas of slaughterhouses in a bid to stamp out maltreatment.

More than 2000 people have signed a petition organised by the charity and it hopes at least 8000 more will add their names before the document is presented to MSPs in September.

The Duchess off Hamilton, a prominent SNP member, put down a resolution to her party’s autumn conference last year calling for all abattoirs to be required to install CCTV cameras. The resolution was carried making it party policy.

Speaking from her home near North Berwick, East Lothian, the 73-year-old said she was disappointed that almost a year after the resolution was passed the welfare of animals in slaughterhouses was still not being adequately monitored.

“I am very disappointed in the Scottish Government’s response,” she said.

“We need to know what goes on and that there is full transparency. I’ve heard reports that in some cases a number of stuns have to be given.

“There is some evidence that abattoir workers can become desensitised to killing.

“I believe having cameras present would help ensure welfare standards are not breached. If we are going to kill animals for food we must make sure it is doing humanely.

“Taking bold action and implementing party policy on mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses would be hugely popular with the Scottish people, who expect the Scottish Government to stand up for animals.”

Information released by Food Standards Scotland in April this year found that 176 breaches of animal welfare standards took place inside abattoirs between 1 May 2015 to 31 January 2017.

Breaches included 130 animals killed in the later stages of pregnancy as well as 45 incidents where multiple or inadequate stunning took place or where procedures didn’t work. One cow was stunned seven times due to incorrect positioning of the bolt gun.

Existing guidelines from the Scottish Government recommends CCTV cameras are installed as best practice.

However, the code of practice is voluntary and misses out some crucial measure including how clear the footage is, where cameras are placed and who has the right to see the footage.

Visits by inspectors from the FSS’s precursor Foods Standards Agency in 2015 to 24 of Scotland’s 36 abattoirs found just 9 had CCTV cameras in the stunning area where animals are killed.

The campaign for CCTV cameras to be mandatory in abattoirs is being backed by the British Veterinary Association.

Last night Gudrun Ravetz, President of the British Veterinary Association President, praised the efforts being made by the Duchess of Hamilton and OneKind.

“We welcome the focus the Duchess of Hamilton and OneKind are bringing to this important issue. BVA is lobbying for CCTV to be mandatory in all slaughterhouses with unrestricted access to footage for Official Veterinarians,” she said.

"It is important that the animals we farm for food have both a good life and a humane death and CCTV has a key role to play in ensuring these requirements are met and is an important tool in fostering a culture of compassion in slaughterhouses.”

Harry Huyton, director of OneKind, said: “It’s clear that the voluntary approach is simply not working.

“It’s not enough just to have a few cameras covering only parts of the slaughterhouse. A mandatory requirement would mean CCTV throughout all slaughterhouses that can be accessed by independent monitors, providing a vital safeguard against cruelty.”

Earlier this year, France became the first country in Europe to announce CCTV will be compulsory in all slaughterhouses in the country from 2018. Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium’s Flemish Region are expected to follow suit.

Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, said: “It’s always best if requirements such as having CCTV cameras are voluntary rather than being done through legislation.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “An estimated 95 per cent of animals are slaughtered in plants where CCTV has already been installed voluntarily.

“We do not consider CCTV, by itself, prevents welfare failures or secures welfare compliance and continue to monitor animal welfare at time of slaughter through the presence of Food Standards Scotland staff in all approved slaughterhouses.

“We will consider whether we have a role in helping industry produce a set of good proactive protocols for the review and use of CCTV at abattoirs.”

ENDS