July 8, 2025 | 06:50 GMT +7

  • Click to copy
Thursday- 14:11, 14/03/2024

Dilution of poultry welfare standards in the UK criticised by campaigners

(VAN)The Animal Welfare Committee proposal is for the European legislation to be amended for a period of 5 years so 'it is legally permitted to lift chickens and turkeys weighing less than 10kg,by 2 legs'.
In the Netherlands, Kipster calculated their additional cost of handling chickens upright by the abdomen - instead of by the legs - amounts to 0.0004 euro per egg. Photo: Canva

In the Netherlands, Kipster calculated their additional cost of handling chickens upright by the abdomen - instead of by the legs - amounts to 0.0004 euro per egg. Photo: Canva

Claims that the UK would not relax animal welfare legislation post Brexit have been met with a barrage of criticism from welfare campaigners after it emerged that the government’s Animal Welfare Committee has suggested a proposal to legalise the carrying of chickens by their legs.

Currently an unlawful practice, although widely ignored, the Animal Welfare Committee has made the recommendation despite acknowledging it to be a “welfare compromise” that can cause “pain, discomfort and breathing difficulty”, leading to distress and injuries such as fractures and dislocation.

A forbidden practice

Under European Transport Regulation 1/2005, it is strictly forbidden to lift chickens by their legs on farms and during loading and unloading : “It shall be prohibited to… lift or drag the animals by head, ears, horns, legs, tail or fleece, or handle them in such a way as to cause them unnecessary pain or suffering.”

The Animal Welfare Committee proposal is for the European legislation to be amended for a period of 5 years so “it is legally permitted to lift chickens and turkeys weighing less than 10kg, by 2 legs”.

Campaigners say the legislation has been constantly ignored, leading to widespread animal suffering. Defra’s current Code of Practice for the Welfare of Meat Chickens and Meat Breeding Chickens (Broiler Code) and the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens and Pullets (Laying Hen Code) allows leg-catching, in contravention of the law.

“Brexit freedoms to strengthen welfare”

The row comes at a time comes less than a month after UK environment secretary Steve Barclay said: “We are committed to maintaining high animal welfare and food standards. Since leaving the EU we have put in place strong controls on imports, and we are using Brexit freedoms to strengthen welfare standards even further by banning the export of live animals for slaughter.”

The Animal Law Foundation has issued a pre-action letter to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) setting out its legal case that the Code of Practice is currently endorsing illegal handling practices and needs to be changed. It and The Humane League UK are writing to the Animal Welfare Committee criticising the report.

Serena Conforti, Animal Law Foundation advocacy officer, said the Animal Welfare Committee’s recommendation was the first open suggestion of removing an EU animal welfare protection since the UK left the EU in 2020.

Handling by the abdomen

Cordelia Britton, The Humane League UK head of programmes, added: “Rather than encouraging farmers to give their chickens the small dignity of responsible handling when they are dragged off to slaughter, the Animal Welfare Committee has suggested legalising cruel leg-holding and slashing important standards which are already ignored. Chickens[…]deserve respectful treatment and should not be hauled around like objects.”

In the Netherlands, Kipster calculated their additional cost of handling chickens upright by the abdomen amounts to 0.0004 euro per egg. The Dutch government will be enforcing the standards for catching chickens upright by the abdomen from August after a successful judicial review.

H.D

(PW)

Cage-free countdown: UK retailers face 2025 deadline

Cage-free countdown: UK retailers face 2025 deadline

(VAN) Pressure is growing on companies to adopt the cage-free commitment for their egg supplies. Many food companies said their eggs would be from cage-free systems by the end of this year (2025).

Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation

Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation

(VAN) Water shortages hitting crops, energy and health as crisis gathers pace amid climate breakdown.

Green Climate Fund approves a record $300 million for FAO-designed projects in Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia and the Sahel

Green Climate Fund approves a record $300 million for FAO-designed projects in Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia and the Sahel

(VAN) The initiatives focus on forestry management, fisheries transformation and land restoration.

FAO urges collective action for food security, climate and development challenges in Africa.

FAO urges collective action for food security, climate and development challenges in Africa.

(VAN) Director-General QU Dongyu addresses the 6th AU-EU Agriculture Ministerial Conference.

Science meets soil: High-tech solutions elevate China's agricultural development

Science meets soil: High-tech solutions elevate China's agricultural development

(VAN) In the suburbs of Beijing, there is an agricultural center spanning over 150 hectares dedicated to research, demonstration, and application of high-tech and precision agriculture.

Plant-derived fertilizer additive boosts yields and cuts emissions

Plant-derived fertilizer additive boosts yields and cuts emissions

(VAN) Researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new environmentally friendly fertilizer additive that significantly enhances crop yields while reducing emissions of harmful gases.

New outbreaks of Newcastle disease wreak havoc on Poland’s poultry industry

New outbreaks of Newcastle disease wreak havoc on Poland’s poultry industry

(VAN) Poultry production in Poland, which has only started recovering from devastating bird flu outbreaks earlier this year, has been hit by a series of outbreaks of Newcastle disease, with the veterinary situation deteriorating rapidly.

Read more