Torbay MP campaign leads to new animal welfare law

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has been counting his chickens and hailed new laws on chicken farming as a historic first step on the way to eradicating poor welfare standards in poultry.

More than 700 million chickens are reared for meat in cramped conditions in the UK every year, but new regulations announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will limit the number of chickens that can be kept in any given space.

DEFRA will now allow farmers to keep only up to 19 birds per square meter, below the EU limit of 21. The EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare has determined that any stocking density over 15 per square meter will result in adverse health effects for the birds.

The regulations will come into force by the middle of next year and it is estimated that around 10 per cent of farmers currently exceed the 19 bird limit.

Adrian led the campaign, together with fellow Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, urging the Government to put limits on stocking densities, which could prevent tens of millions of chickens from living with debilitating health conditions including leg disorders and heart problems. Adrian and Mike both tabled Parliamentary motions calling for better welfare standards.

Adrian told the PRSD: “You can measure the humanity and civilisation of a society by the way it treats its animals and although this is a good step forward, it is clear we still have far to go.  Although these birds are reared for food, it is inexcusable for them to suffer their whole lives before being killed and the Government must build on this first step towards better animal welfare standards.”

(from a press release)

• Interested in animal welfare? Check out the Chicken Out site.