FARM ANIMAL Welfare Forum FARMING TOMORROW. The better way to farm animal welfare in the UK

Transcription

1 FARM ANIMAL Welfare Forum FARMING TOMORROW The better way to farm animal welfare in the UK

2 LAYING HENS We believe that all cage egg production systems should be replaced by higher welfare alternatives such as free range and organic. FARMING TOMORROW The better way to farm animal welfare in the UK. Soil Associa on The way our food is produced is of increasing public, poli cal and commercial concern. Farm animal welfare is now established as a key issue in the debate. The way animals are reared to produce what we eat in the UK is an important component of the quality of the food on our plates. In a concerted bid to tackle pressing farm animal welfare concerns, a number of influen al business, farming and charitable organisa ons have come together to propose a programme of reforms for be er food and farming. The organisa ons involved include Compassion in World Farming, the Food Animal Ini a ve, the Co-opera ve Group, World Society for the Protec on of Animals, RSPCA and the Soil Associa on, with scien fic advice from the University of Bristol s Animal Behaviour and Welfare Group. We believe in collec ve ac on to improve the well being of farm animals and ensure that our food is assured of the highest quality and provenance. Our aim is to mobilise all parts of the food chain, from consumers to producers, from retailers to manufacturers to regulators, to bring about much needed reforms and to ensure transparency and higher animal welfare in the food chain for the benefit of all involved. About 62% of the eggs produced in the UK are from hens living in ba ery cages. These cages are so small that the hens cannot flap their wings properly and restrict exercise to the point where the birds bones can become bri le. Ba ery cages will be outlawed in the European Union (EU) from However, enriched cages which provide li le more space and bare minimum provisions for hens requirements such as nes ng and dust-bathing, will remain legal. Hens in all systems, caged and non-caged, are o en subjected to the mu la on of beak-trimming as a precau on against injurious pecking. The UK has unilaterally enacted a ban on beak-trimming in laying hens from 1st January Dale Arey / Compassion in World Farming > An end to egg produc on from caged hens in the EU > An increase in consump on of non-cage eggs in the UK > An increase in the propor on of non-cage systems with low levels of injurious pecking and fractures > An end to rou ne beak-trimming of laying hens in the EU. RSPCA We want to see a thriving food and farming system, which results in all farmed animals being reared with compassion to higher levels of welfare and in ways that respect the environment. FUTURE FOOD Priorities for animal welfare. It is important that all parts of the food chain recognise their role in driving change. This includes recognising that good animal welfare produces be er food, and empowering producers to produce food in ways that deliver higher welfare. The scale of the challenge of improving farm animal welfare is significant - consumers want inexpensive food, farmers need to make profits and regulators rarely act without sufficient public support. We have analyzed the pressing animal welfare issues of our me against criteria such as severity and dura on of suffering involved, the level of incidence of the problem and how achievable the required change might be. Our priority areas for ac on have been iden fied as: > Ensuring all egg laying hens are kept cage-free > Improving the welfare of chickens reared for meat > Ensuring all pigs are kept in humane condi ons without rou ne tail docking > Improving the welfare of dairy cows. This report outlines our programme for be er food and farming in the UK. We are also invi ng companies and organisa ons to sign up to our Charter for Be er Food and Farming to indicate their commitment to higher welfare farming 2 FARM ANIMAL Welfare Forum 3

3 BROILER CHICKENS We believe that improving the lives of broiler chickens reared for meat requires the use of systems and genotypes that maintain higher levels of welfare throughout the production cycle. The European chicken industry is vast. About 5,000 million chickens are bred for meat every year in the EU. Most are reared in windowless, barren, overcrowded and dimly lit sheds. They are gene cally selected to grow much faster than is sustainable, reaching slaughter weight in as li le as days - twice as fast as 30 years ago. Despite being young birds, their hearts and lungs o en cannot keep pace with the fast growth with some dying of heart failure at only a few weeks old. Nearly 130 million chickens die this way in Europe each year. Their fast growth rate also contributes to leg problems and lameness. A recent study found that over a quarter of birds have walking difficul es whilst 3.3% were almost unable to walk. Jake Spain / Compassion in World Farming EU legisla on on broiler chicken welfare is extremely weak and does li le to tackle the overcrowding and fast growth rates that cause serious welfare problems for many millions of birds. > Strengthened EU legisla on that addresses the major welfare concerns affec ng broiler chickens, including overcrowding, lameness and cardio-vascular problems > An increase in consump on of higher welfare chicken in the UK > An increase in the propor on of non-cage systems with low levels of injurious pecking and fractures > The use of gene cally slower-growing broiler breeds, reared in higher welfare extensive systems, whether indoors or free range, and work towards mee ng the RSPCA welfare standards or above in the UK. WSPA Soil Associa on/ C Sainsbury-Plaice PIGS We believe that improved pig welfare should be achieved through the use of rearing systems which do not require the pigs to be tail docked or incur tail biting. Compassion in World Farming Around one third of pigs farmed in the UK are kept in barren environments, without appropriate environmental enrichment or adequate space, for most of their lives. This puts them at risk of tail bi ng, lifelong bullying from other pigs and even injury or death. To reduce the risk of tail bi ng, many piglets are rou nely mu lated by having their tails docked, even though the law specifically prohibits rou ne docking. The same is true of pigs farmed in the major producing na ons that import pig products to the UK. An undamaged, undocked tail on a fully grown pig is one good indica on that it is likely to have been in a good environment for all its life. > Industry-wide adop on of systems that provide for the needs of rearing pigs and do not rely on rou ne tail docking to prevent tail bi ng > Proper enforcement of the EU prohibi on on rou ne tail docking > A reduc on in the severity and incidence of hunger and metabolic stress > Food industry procurement policies in the UK that preclude imported pig meat from systems that rou nely tail dock. 4 FARM ANIMAL Welfare Forum 5

4 KEY AREAS FOR CHANGE To help bring about better quality food from farm animals that have a decent life, the Farm Animal Welfare Forum urges the following specific actions: Soil Associa on DAIRY COWS We believe that higher dairy cow welfare involves using dairy production systems and management protocols that substantially reduce metabolic disease and lameness and improve calf welfare. There are currently about 2 million dairy cows in the UK. Whilst most of these will be kept seasonally outdoors, serious welfare problems remain prevalent. Modern breeds of dairy cow o en produce so much milk that many suffer from serious welfare problems including lameness and mas s. The pressures on high yielding cows are so great that many are worn out a er just 2-3 milk cycles and are prematurely culled. The UK has the worst incidence of dairy ca le lameness in the world. About 55% of dairy cows go lame in any one year compared with a worldwide level of 26%. The factors causing this include poor housing and diets combined with breeding regimes that push up levels of milk produc on o en beyond natural limits causing inevitable suffering. Mas s, a painful inflammatory disease of the udder, is also rife in the UK dairy herd with over 1 million cases per annum. As well as affec ng the welfare of the animal, the total cost to the dairy industry is an es mated 200 million annually. Inbreeding in the dairy herd has led to a drop in fer lity and o en to a weaker immune system, leaving cows more suscep ble to insidious diseases such as Johne s and BVD. Around 500,000 pure-bred male dairy calves are born in the UK each year. Around half of these are either exported on long and o en stressful journeys to con nental veal farms, where welfare condi ons o en fall short of UK legisla on, or are shot soon a er birth. They o en receive inadequate care and a en on during the me they are alive. > A reduc on in the severity and incidence of lameness > An increase in the propor on of dairy cows bred to be fit for purpose > A reduc on in the severity and incidence of hunger and metabolic stress > A reduc on in the number of male dairy calves exported live to con nental veal systems or killed on farm soon a er birth. Achieving these outcomes will require collabora ve ac on from all major stakeholders, including producers, the food industry and government. Mar n Usborne / Compassion in World Farming POLICY-MAKERS The UK Government is urged to ensure: > A ban on the use of all cages, including enriched cages, for egg laying hens in the EU. > Clear, mandatory labelling of meat products according to the system of farming produc on, using defined terms that accurately communicate to the buying public. > Rigorous enforcement of EU legisla on prohibi ng rou ne tail-docking in pigs and requiring implementa on of environment and management measures that reduces tail bi ng by other means. > Government ac on to support welfare improvements in the dairy industry, including ending the export of surplus bull calves to con nental veal systems. FOOD BUSINESS Food industry companies and public procurers are encouraged: On laying hens: > To sell or use only cage-free shell eggs by 1st January > To sell or use only cage-free egg ingredient in own label products by 1st January > To source only eggs from systems where the hens are not rou nely beak-trimmed and are not subject to feather pecking or cannibalism by 1st January On broiler chickens: > To sell or use only higher welfare broiler chicken (indoor extensive or above) by > To use only higher welfare chicken meat (indoor extensive or above) in manufactured products or ingredients by On pigs: > To source only pig meat from farms where the rearing pigs are not rou nely tail docked or tail bi en by > To source only higher welfare pig meat from farms where the rearing pigs are bred and reared using extensive systems, preferably to RSPCA standards or higher, by On dairy cows: > To audit dedicated milk suppliers against a veterinary management plan for reducing lameness incidence in dairy ca le to 10% by > To require dedicated milk suppliers to prohibit the export of male dairy calves for further fa ening by > To require dedicated milk suppliers to prohibit the killing of male dairy calves soon a er birth, instead encouraging the rearing of these animals using high welfare systems for beef or veal in the UK by CONSUMERS People can help make a world of difference to the animals reared for our food by: > Choosing to buy higher welfare meat, dairy products and eggs - look out for food labelled as RSPCA Freedom Food, free-range or organic. > Urging the government to press for be er labelling - to ensure that meat and milk is clearly labelled by law according to the system of farming produc on used. > Asking your staff canteen or catering service where you work to use only cage-free eggs and other higher welfare products in their meals. CONCLUSION The programme above summarises the aspira ons of the Farm Animal Welfare Forum. With your support, our aims to improve animal welfare and the quality of our food can be reached. The Forum wants to hear your views on what you see as achievable. We also want policy-makers, food businesses and other organisa ons to sign the Forum s Charter for Be er Food and Farming. Let the dialogue begin. 6 FARM ANIMAL Welfare Forum 7

5 FARM ANIMAL Welfare Forum C/o Compassion in World Farming River Court, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EZ