Defra has done away with its plans to scrap statutory codes in place for broiler chickens for industry created guidelines. This came only a few hours after receiving a joint letter from PETA, Animal Aid, Humane Society International, Animal Equality, Viva! and Compassion in World Farming - and hearing from Kerry McCarthy, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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"In light of views raised, we have given the matter further consideration and believe we can achieve our objectives by retaining the existing statutory codes", said a Defra spokesperson.
The groups' letter was addressed to Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
It highlighted that letting the industry have its own rulebook would run the risk of lowering animal welfare standards. Farmers would no longer be expected to adhere to the codes. It would also have the potential to increase the risk of zoonotic diseases and further overuse of antibiotics.
"It would have been unconscionable for Defra to let the fox guard the henhouse by giving the very industry that views and treats animals as mere commodities latitude to write its own rule book about its obligations for animal care", says PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi. "At a time when consumers are deeply concerned about declining animal welfare standards, following multiple investigations into UK farms - all of which revealed that animals suffer and die in filthy and severely crowded conditions - the government must do more to protect animals, not less."
The new statutory guidance the government is compiling will have to be made public before it comes into force so the codes can be looked over and debated.
The groups' letter is below. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.
Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Dear Secretary of State
As some of Britain’s leading animal protection organisations, we urge you to bring an urgent debate before 18 April to the House on the scrapping of Statutory Codes for animal welfare. We bring to your attention the several public petitions on this matter that have very quickly amassed over 180,000 signatures, as a signal of the strength of public feeling on this matter.
We are extremely concerned that the Government proposes to move away from statutory Codes on animal welfare to industry-led non-statutory guidance. Allowing the industry to self-regulate by authoring its own rule book risks both the standards themselves becoming lower and a reduction in compliance by industry. In particular we are concerned that inevitable consequences will include:
- compromised standards of animal welfare with associated further undermining of consumer confidence;
- downgrading of animal welfare requirements in the eyes of the courts. As a consequence, prosecutions that should succeed could fail. Section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 states failure to comply with a statutory Code may be relied on in court to establish liability in prosecution for an offence; industry-led non-statutory guidance is not referred to by this Act, therefore not carrying the same weight in court.
- potential increased risk of zoonotic diseases and further overuse of antibiotic drugs.
- poor knowledge and implementation of animal welfare standards as a result of farmers no longer being required to be acquainted with Codes and instruct workers on them.
A worrying feature of the process that led to the new broiler guidance, which the Government intends to come into effect on April 27, is that key stakeholders had no opportunity to comment on the draft of this text. This principle of openness and accountability must be at the heart of the drafting of all management of animal welfare standards.
Defra’s management and decision-making with regard to this affair has been seriously at odds with the Government’s Manifesto commitment to uphold the “highest standards of animal welfare”. In light of this commitment and the concerns and risks raised above, we believe it is imperative that Parliament be given the opportunity to fully scrutinise and debate this regulatory change.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Tyler, Director, Animal Aid
Toni Shephard, Executive Director, Animal Equality UK
Peter Stevenson, Chief Policy Advisor, Compassion in World Farming
Cordelia Britton, Head of Programmes, Four Paws
Claire Bass, Executive Director, Humane Society International
Mimi Bekhechi – Director, PETA UK
Juliet Gellatley, Founder & Director, Viva!
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