Apply for a temporary Certificate of Competence to slaughter or kill animals
Apply for a temporary Certificate of Competence to slaughter or kill animals under the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) regulations.
Applies to England and Wales
You can use this form to apply for a temporary Certificate of Competence (CoC) if you:
- work in a slaughterhouse
- do not have a full CoC for the type of animal you will work with or the operation you will carry out
- have registered on a Food and Drink Qualifications (FDQ) approved training course
- want to add a new type of animal or operation to an existing full CoC
A temporary CoC is only valid for 3 months. You can work in a slaughterhouse with a temporary CoC if you’re supervised by someone who has a full CoC that covers both the:
- types of animals you will work with
- operations you’re carrying out
Before you apply
Read the guidance on applying for a Certificate of Competence to slaughter or kill animals.
Before you apply for a temporary CoC, you’ll need to:
- know your 6-digit Food and Drink Qualifications (FDQ) registration number (your employer or training provider should have given you this when you registered for an approved training course)
- know the activity code for each type of animal and operation you are applying for
- get your slaughterhouse’s 4-digit establishment approval code from your employer
If you want to add new species or operation to your existing full CoC, you’ll need to know your current CoC ID number. If you do not know your CoC ID number, email the Food Standard Agency (FSA) WATOK team: watok@food.gov.uk.
Offences and licensing history
If you have been convicted of an animal welfare offence, you must tell us:
- which law you broke
- what penalty you received (including any restriction or disqualification orders, with details of their start and end dates)
- when were you convicted of the offences
If you have been refused a licence or a CoC to kill an animal or carry out a related operation. You must tell us:
- why it was refused
- when it was refused
If your licence or a CoC to kill an animal or carry out a related operation has been suspended or revoked (cancelled). You must tell us:
- why was it suspended or revoked
- when was it suspended or revoked
- which authority suspended or revoked it
Other ways to apply
You can request a copy of the application form in Welsh by emailing the FSA WATOK team at watok@food.gov.uk.
Get help
For help with this form, contact the FSA WATOK team by:
- email at watok@food.gov.uk
- phone on 03303 327 149