Guidance

Get a Certificate of Competence activity code

Find the activity codes needed to apply for a full or temporary Certificate of Competence (CoC) from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Food Standards Agency
• Published: 4 March 2025

Applies to England and Wales

To work in a slaughterhouse that handles or slaughters animals for human consumption, you must have either a full Certificate of Competence (CoC) or a temporary Certificate of Competence.

Read Defra’s guidance on applying for a Certificate of Competence to slaughter or kill animals.

When you apply for a full or temporary CoC, you must provide an activity code for each type of animal and operation it will cover.

To get the activity codes:

1. Find the reference letter for the species, for example, ‘A’ for cattle.

2. Find the activity number for the operation in the tables, for example, ‘11’ for using a penetrative captive bolt device.

3. Combine the reference letter and activity number to create the activity code, for example, ‘A11’ for using a penetrative captive bolt device on cattle.

Red meat

The reference letter for the following species is:

• A - for cattle, including water buffalo and bison
  
• V - for calves
  
• B - for horses, includes mules and donkeys
  
• C - for sheep and goats
  
• D - for pigs, including farmed wild boar
  
• E - for large game, including feral wild boar, deer, alpacas, llamas and guanaco

Operation	Activity number	Use for	Do not use for
Penetrative captive bolt device	11	All species	(No restrictions)
Non-penetrative captive bolt device (simple stun only)	12	Calves less than 10kg Sheep less than 10kg Goats less than 10kg Large game less than 10kg	Cattle Horses Pigs Heavier calves, sheep, goats and large game
Non-penetrative captive bolt device (stun kill, England only)	12a	Lambs less than 6kg Kids less than 4kg Piglets less than 10kg	Calves Horses Large game Heavier sheep, goats and pigs
Firearm with free projectile	13	All species	(No restrictions)
Pithing and the assessment of effective pithing	14	Cattle (not for human consumption) Calves (not for human consumption) Sheep and goats (not for human consumption) Horses Pigs Large game	(No restrictions)
Head-only electrical stunning	21	All species	(No restrictions)
Head-to-body electrical stunning	22	All species	(No restrictions)
Carbon dioxide at high concentration	31	Pigs only	Cattle Calves Horses Sheep and goats Large game
Carbon dioxide associated with inert gases	33	Pigs only	Cattle Calves Horses Sheep and goats Large game
Inert gases	34	Pigs only	Cattle Calves Horses Sheep and goats Large game
The handling and care of animals before they are restrained	41	All species	(No restrictions)
The restraint of animals for the purpose of stunning or killing	42	All species	(No restrictions)
The shackling or hoisting of animals	43	All species	(No restrictions)
The stunning of animals	51	All species	(No restrictions)
The assessment of effective stunning	52	All species	(No restrictions)
The bleeding of live animals, monitoring the absence of signs of life	53	All species	(No restrictions)
Slaughtering in accordance with Article 4 (4) of Regulation EC 1099/2009	61	Cattle Calves Sheep and goats	Horses Pigs Large game

Poultry, ratites and lagomorph

The reference letter for the following species is:

• K - for chicken and guinea fowl
  
• L - for quail
  
• M - for turkey
  
• N - for ratites, including ostrich, emu and rhea
  
• Q - for ducks
  
• P - for geese
  
• R - for rabbits, including hares

Operation	Activity number	Use for	Do not use for
Penetrative captive bolt device	11	All species	(No restrictions)
Non-penetrative captive bolt device	12	All species	(No restrictions)
Firearm with free projectile	13	All species	(No restrictions)
Cervical dislocation (Up to 3kg for manual cervical dislocation and 5kg for mechanically assisted)	15	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ducks Geese	Ratites Rabbits
Percussive blow to the head	16	Rabbits up to 5kg	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ratites Ducks Geese
Head-only electrical stunning	21	All species	(No restrictions)
Head-to-body electrical stunning	22	All species	(No restrictions)
Electrical waterbath	23	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ducks Geese	Ratites Rabbits
Carbon dioxide at high concentration	31	Chicken (when not in an abattoir) Guinea fowl (when not in an abattoir) Quail (when not in an abattoir) Turkey (when not in an abattoir)	Ratites Ducks Geese
Carbon dioxide in 2 phases	32	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ducks Geese	Ratites Rabbits
Carbon dioxide associated with inert gases	33	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ducks Geese	Ratites Rabbits
Inert gases	34	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ducks Geese	Ratites Rabbits
Low atmospheric pressure stunning	35	Chicken up to 4kg	Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ratites Ducks Geese Rabbits
The handling and care of animals before they are restrained	41	All species	(No restrictions)
The restraint of animals for the purpose of stunning or killing	42	All species	(No restrictions)
The shackling or hoisting of animals	43	All species	(No restrictions)
The stunning of animals	51	All species	(No restrictions)
The assessment of effective stunning	52	All species	(No restrictions)
The bleeding of live animals, monitoring the absence of signs of life	53	All species	(No restrictions)
Slaughtering under Article 4 (4) of Regulation EC 1099/2009	61	Chicken Guinea fowl Quail Turkey Ducks Geese	Ratites Rabbits

Published 4 March 2025