Report on the possibility of introducing certain requirements regarding the protection of fish at the time of killing

Background and further information:

Farmed fish are covered by Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. However, only the general provision in Article 3(1) is applicable to farmed fish, i.e. "animals shall be spared any avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations".

Article 27(1) of the Regulation requires the Commission to submit a report on the possibility of introducing certain requirements regarding the protection of fish at the time of killing, taking into account animal welfare aspects as well as the socio-economic and environmental impacts.

The purpose of this report is to comply with Article 27(1) of the Regulation. The report includes analysis of socio-economic impacts at the time of slaughter. However the potential environmental effects were not considered in this report as their impact was considered negligible at the time of killing. The report also constitutes one of the actions listed in the EU strategy for the protection and welfare of animals 2012-2015.