Get a certificate of competence or licence to slaughter or kill animals
The licence or certificate you need to slaughter or kill animals, the operations covered and how to apply.
Applies to England
Slaughter inside a Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved slaughterhouse
You need a Certificate of Competence (CoC) or a temporary Certificate of Competence from the FSA to do any of the following 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 without stunning
- pith a stunned animal
- check pithing has worked
You must have a UK CoC.
You will need to provide evidence of training and examination to apply for a UK CoC.
The FSA will also consider relevant qualifications and CoCs issued in the Republic of Ireland as evidence, but not from other EU member states.
Where requested, the FSA will consider whether qualifications from European Economic Area (EEA) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) are equivalent to UK qualifications.
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.
If you need to add more operations or types of animals to your CoC, you must get a temporary CoC and complete training and assessment for the additional operation or animal.
Age limits
You can get a temporary or full CoC for a limited range of operations if you’re 16 or 17 years old which are:
- handle and care of animals before restraint
- shackle live poultry
For all other operations, you must be 18 or over to get a temporary or full CoC.
Applying for a temporary or full CoC
When you apply for a temporary or full CoC, 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 (cancelled) or suspended
Temporary CoC
A temporary CoC is free and 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; and
- have registered on an approved training course
You can work in a slaughterhouse with a temporary CoC as long as you’re supervised by someone who has a full CoC that covers both:
- the types of animals being slaughtered
- the operations you’re carrying out
You can get a temporary CoC from an official vet (OV) at an FSA-approved slaughterhouse.
Temporary CoC: training
To get a temporary CoC you must register to train with an approved trainer accredited by FDQ.
You’ll need to show the official vet (OV) evidence that you’ve registered before you can get your temporary CoC.
During the 3 months that your temporary CoC is valid, you must:
- complete your training
- successfully pass the assessment
Once that’s done you will get a ‘qualification certificate’. You can then apply for a full CoC.
Applying for a full CoC
Apply for a full CoC. It costs £25.
Adding operations to your existing CoC costs £8.
Slaughtering or killing outside of an 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 on-farm to supply small amounts of meat direct 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 you can apply for a WATOK licence you need an assessment from an APHA vet.
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
- 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. 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.
Find out more about inspections and penalties for slaughterhouses, knacker’s yards and farms.
Updates to this page
Published 15 October 2015Last updated 25 April 2024 + show all updates
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Information added to explain the Food Standards Agency will assess equivalent qualifications from the European Economic Area and European Free Trade Association countries (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) against UK qualifications to decide if they can be used as evidence of training and examination for a UK certificate of competence.
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Content has been reviewed as part of improvements to the welfare of animals at the time of killing pages. Updates approved by Welfare at Slaughter team.
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Veterinary assessment fees for WATOK licences clarified
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Update on CoC acceptance by UK or the EU following EU Exit, Removed "If you still have a WASK licence" paragraph, added rules about EU workers
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WATOK licence application form added.
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Deleted '8 December 2015' from this sentence: "You’ll now need a CoC or temporary CoC from 8 December 2015 if you do any of the following:". Removed 'by 5 November 2015' to the end of the sentence "If you don’t meet both of the above requirements, you must apply for a temporary CoC." Clarified the next two sentences, as a result of the changes previously made.
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We've updated the deadline by which you need to apply for a temporary certificate of competence. This deadline applies if you currently handle animals before restraining them, kill an animal with a free bullet for human consumption, or shackle poultry.
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First published.