The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is to launch a public consultation on banning all cages for laying hens.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
New welfare standards for laying hens due to come into force in England this week will ban conventional barren battery cages from 1 January 2012 and forbid new ones being installed after 1 January 2003. Farmers will still be able to use enriched cages which have more space for each bird and include a nest, perch and litter.
But Germany has decided to go further than the new standards, laid down in an EU Directive, by banning enriched cages too. Animal Welfare Minister Elliot Morley wants to see if there is a case for the UK following suit.
Morley also wants to work with stakeholders to phase out beak trimming. The Regulations which implement the Directive allow beak trimming to continue until the end of 2010 because of welfare concerns about feather pecking and cannibalism.
But industry is already working on breeding and management programmes which could eliminate these problems making beak trimming unnecessary. A government code of practice for laying hens also encourages beak tipping – which just removes the sharp tip of beaks –
instead of beak trimming.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataMorley said: “The UK government has worked hard to push for barren battery cages to be banned and I welcome the Directive and the new implementing Regulations.
“But I am not convinced enriched cages have any real advantages over conventional barren cages. I want to hear people’s views on the subject to see if the UK should follow Germany and ban enriched cages too. The consultation will be open, wide and transparent, all interested parties will have a chance to put their views and we will listen to what they have to say.
“Beak trimming has traditionally been allowed because there are welfare concerns relating to feather pecking and cannibalism. But I am confident this can be phased out, through improved management and, in particular, breeding.
“I want to see an Action Plan, developed with stakeholders, which takes account of our increased understanding of what triggers feather pecking and addresses on-farm management issues.”
The new standards amend the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 and implement an EU Directive on laying hens. For the first time there are now minimum welfare standards for laying hens kept in all systems.
The Directive bans all mutilation of laying hens, but allows beak trimming to be authorised if necessary to avoid feather pecking and cannibalism.
As well as the implementation of the EU Directive through amendment to the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000, two new separate user-friendly codes of recommendation – one for the welfare of laying hens and one for meat and breeding chickens – are to be published soon.
The new codes replace the relevant sections of the Domestic Fowl code, which dates back to 1987. They offer farmers advice on best husbandry practice and are designed to focus on the welfare outcome for the birds.
Farmers must have access to and knowledge of the codes which have taken into account practical management experience and make the welfare of birds the principal objective. The new codes dovetail legal requirements with advice on best practice.
The laying hens code also provides guidance on the new Regulations. The meat and breeding chickens code addresses ongoing concerns about the welfare of meat chickens in intensive systems.
Morley said: “These codes are an important part of the government’s animal welfare strategy. The format is based on the sheep code we issued in 2000. This was welcomed by the industry as something that is easy both to read and to follow.”
