Certificate of Competence or licence to slaughter or kill animals
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-04)

The licence or certificate you need to slaughter or kill animals, the operations covered and how to apply.

Slaughter inside a Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouse

You need a Certificate of Competence (CoC) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-full-certificate-of-competence-to-slaughter-or-kill-animals) or a temporary Certificate of Competence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-temporary-certificate-of-competence-to-slaughter-or-kill-animals) to do any of the following slaughtering operations in an FSA-approved slaughterhouse:
- handle animals before they’re restrained
- restrain animals for stunning or killing
- stun animals
- kill an animal with a free bullet for human consumption
- check stunning has worked
- shackle or hoist live animals
- bleed live animals
- slaughter in accordance with religious rites (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/halal-and-kosher-slaughter) without stunning
- pith a stunned animal
- check pithing has worked
What your CoC must cover

Your CoC must cover each type of animal you work with and each operation that you carry out.

If you stun animals, your CoC must cover the different types of equipment you use.

Age limits

If you are 16 or 17 years old, you can only apply for a temporary CoC or a full CoC to perform specific operations:
- handling and caring for animals before restraint
- shackling live poultry
You must be 18 years old or older to apply for a temporary or full CoC for all other operations.

Applying for a temporary or a full CoC

When you apply for a temporary or full CoC, you need to tell the FSA if you’ve ever:
- been convicted of an animal welfare offence
- been refused a licence or a CoC to kill an animal or carry out a related operation
- had a licence or a CoC to kill an animal or carry out a related operation suspended or revoked (cancelled)
Temporary CoC

A temporary CoC is free and is valid for 3 months. You can apply for a temporary CoC if you:
- work in a slaughterhouse
- do not have a full CoC for an operation you’re doing
- have registered on an approved training course
You can work in a slaughterhouse with a temporary CoC if supervised by someone who has a full CoC that covers both:
- the types of animals you work with
- the operations you’re carrying out
To get a temporary CoC, you must register to train with an approved trainer accredited by FDQ (https://www.fdq.org.uk/).

You’ll need a registration number from FDQ to apply for your temporary CoC.

Apply for a temporary certificate of competence to slaughter or kill animals (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-temporary-certificate-of-competence-to-slaughter-or-kill-animals).

Temporary CoC training

During the months that your temporary CoC is valid, you must:
- complete your training
- successfully pass the assessment
After you have done this, you will receive a qualification certificate. You can then apply for a full CoC.

Applying for a full CoC

When you apply for a full CoC, you must submit a copy of your qualification certificate.

This certificate must show that you are qualified to perform the operations and work with the types of animals that your CoC will cover.

The FSA will accept:
- a Food and Drink Qualifications (FDQ) qualification certificate
- an equivalent qualification certificate or Certificate of Competence (CoC) issued in the Republic of Ireland (not from other EU member states)
- a qualification certificate from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland that’s equivalent to UK qualifications
Apply for a full certificate of competence to slaughter or kill animals (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-full-certificate-of-competence-to-slaughter-or-kill-animals).

You must pay £25 for your first CoC or £8 to amend or replace an existing CoC.

Adding operations or animals to an existing full CoC

To add more operations or animals to your existing full CoC:

Get a temporary CoC for the new operations or animals (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-temporary-certificate-of-competence-to-slaughter-or-kill-animals).

Complete the required training and pass the assessment.

Apply to add the new operations or animals to your full CoC (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-full-certificate-of-competence-to-slaughter-or-kill-animals).

Slaughter outside a Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouse

You must have either a Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) licence or a CoC to:
- work as a knackerman or at a knacker’s yard
- slaughter poultry, rabbits, or hares (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/slaughtering-poultry-rabbits-and-hares-on-farms-for-small-scale-suppliers) on-farm to supply small amounts of meat directly to consumers or local retailers
- cull animals on a farm (except in an emergency, when the animal is injured or has a disease associated with severe pain or suffering and there is no other practical possibility to alleviate this pain or suffering)
You can:
- restrain animals for stunning or killing
- stun animals
- assess if stunning has worked
- shackle or hoist live animals
- bleed live animals
- pith a stunned animal and check it’s effective
Applying for a WATOK licence

Before applying for a WATOK licence (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-of-animals-at-the-time-of-killing-licence-application), you need an Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) vet assessment.

You must pay £25 for a new licence or £8 to amend an existing licence.

What your licence must cover

Your licence must cover all types of:
- animals you kill
- operations you carry out
- equipment you use
Supervision if you do not have a WATOK licence

Until you have a WATOK licence, you must only carry out these operations when directly supervised by either:
- someone who has a WATOK licence or CoC for that operation
- a vet
You must be 18 or over to get a WATOK licence.

When you do not need a WATOK licence

You do not need a WATOK licence if you:
- kill livestock at home to be eaten by your family (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/slaughter-poultry-livestock-and-rabbits-for-home-consumption)
- are directly supervised by a vet
- are directly supervised by a WATOK or relevant CoC-licence holder
- kill an animal in an emergency
- are a vet, killing an animal as part of your job
- kill surplus chicks or embryos in hatchery waste
- kill animals for depopulation, for example in relation to public health, or animal health
- kill an animal in the field using a firearm with a free bullet (like a shotgun), if the animal will not be eaten by people
- kill poultry by cervical dislocation where there are no other methods available and the bird will not be eaten by people – you must do this on the farm where the bird was reared
- kill an animal for reasons that are not covered by the retained EU regulations, such as hunting or fishing
Assessment for a WATOK licence

An APHA vet must assess whether you have sufficient knowledge of the relevant animal welfare regulations and whether you’re competent to:
- carry out the procedure
- use the type of equipment
- work with the type of animal
To contact APHA to arrange an assessment, you will need to follow the guidance notes in the WATOK licence application form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-of-animals-at-the-time-of-killing-licence-application). Once APHA receives your form, an APHA vet will be assigned. They will be in touch with you to arrange the assessment.

On completion of the assessment, you will be invoiced for the assessment (per applicant):
- £76 for the first 30 minutes
- £21 for each additional 30 minutes
You must also pay any costs for the vet to travel to your location. Where multiple assessments are carried out at the same visit those costs can be shared between applicants.

Once payment has been received, your original application form will be returned to you with the assessment of competence section completed. The completed form can then be used to apply to FSA for a WATOK licence.

You need to tell the FSA in writing if you’ve ever:
- been convicted of an animal welfare offence
- been refused a licence in relation to killing an animal or a related operation
- had such a licence revoked or suspended
Certificates and licences from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales

If you have a CoC or a WATOK licence issued in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, you can use it in England for the procedures, equipment and animals it covers.

When your CoC or licence can be revoked or suspended

The FSA can cancel or temporarily suspend your CoC or WATOK licence if you do not follow the animal welfare regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/welfare-of-animals-at-the-time-of-killing).

Find out more about inspections and penalties for slaughterhouses, knacker’s yards and farms (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/slaughterhouses-knackers-yards-and-farms-inspections-and-penalties).