New welfare rules for transporting farm animals in England and Wales have been published by Defra.
The proposals for the new Welfare in Transport measures follow a UK-wide push to improve the conditions and welfare for livestock during transport.
Changes which will affect the poultry industry include measures to ban poultry journeys when the outside temperature is below 5 Celsius or above 25 Celsius.
The new proposals, which are being developed in partnership with the farming industry will apply to animals being transported within England and Wales. The main changes made to improve welfare standards for farm animals being transported, include shorter journey times, more headroom, and stricter rules on being moved in extreme temperatures.
The announcement follows a twelve-week consultation launched in December, which sought industry and public views on proposals to improve animal welfare in transport.
A number of changes have been made, after industry organisations, including the The National Pig Association (NPA) and the National Farmers' Union (NFU), issued strong objections to the original proposals, which they argued would be impractical to implement, with little clear evidence they would deliver welfare benefits.
NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said he was pleased Defra had listened to the concerns of the industry.
“Animal welfare is always a top priority for any livestock or poultry farmer and we maintain that new rules or policy should be based on sound evidence and the latest science. We’re pleased to see in some areas Defra has taken account of the evidence we presented and made changes to its proposals. We are pleased to see that Defra is committed to working collaboratively with the industry in this area and we stand ready to support further policy development to improve welfare at transport.”
To read in full, NFU poultry board chair Thomas Wornham’s view on what the revised proposals mean for the poultry industry click here.
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