France to Install Cameras at Slaughterhouses

On Thursday, the French National Assembly passed a bill requiring that all 263 slaughterhouses in France must be equipped with surveillance cameras by 2018. The historic bill comes after a number of undercover investigations conducted by local animal rights group L214 revealed cruel practices in multiple slaughterhouses—including the killing of animals while conscious. Cameras will be installed in areas of the facilities where animals are “transported, accommodated, immobilized, stunned, slaughtered, and killed.” The bill also proposes the creation of a National Committee on the Ethics of Slaughterhouses, and imposes penalties of up to 12 months in jail and fines of up to $21,000 for anyone found to be in violation of standing animal cruelty laws. This action—along with a similar initiative launched in Israel last year—brings to light Sir Paul McCartney’s vision described by his famous quote, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”