EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
Defra: Plans to implement Europe's first comprehensive welfare rules on chickens raised for meat have been released for consultation (closes 20 April 2009). The EU rules focus on the overall welfare of birds, as well as the individual factors that contribute to welfare, and include the monitoring of birds at slaughterhouses so that signs of poor welfare can be raised with both producers & agencies responsible for animal welfare and food safety.
The new European rules do, for the first time, produce a legal baseline for all producers, including those who do not participate in any voluntary assurance schemes, while complementing, not replacing, existing voluntary assurance schemes.
Once finalised, the Welfare of Farmed Animals and Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 will come into force in June 2010 and are made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. They will implement Council Directive 2007/43/EC.
Press release ~ Consultation on new Regulations and code for Meat Chicken Welfare ~ Animal Welfare Act 2006 ~
ScotGov: Two Shetland companies are to benefit from grant assistance totalling £1,158,000 delivered through the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). Lerwick Fish Traders and Rossyew Ltd will use the funding for fish processing projects which will create 17 new jobs, a vital boost for the local economy.
Projects eligible for EFF grants include:
* The development & delivery of professional, safety and specialist skills training
* Improved management, sustainable exploitation of resources, improved hygiene standards and minimisation of environmental impacts
* Pilot projects in partnership with scientific or technical bodies
Press release ~ ScotGov - European Fisheries Fund (EFF) ~ ScotGov - Fish Health and Welfare - Diseases - Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA)
Defra: A proposal that will hopefully ensure all animals across Europe are protected at the time of slaughter will be subject to comprehensive consultation (closes 20 April 2009) Farming Minister Jane Kennedy has claimed.
The EU proposal focuses on ensuring there's a level playing field with respect to welfare standards for animals killed in a slaughterhouse, on a farm or for disease management purposes and that they're spared avoidable suffering. The proposal covers all animals including poultry & fish, but exclude reptiles and amphibians.
Also under the proposal, all animals except for fish would need to be killed by a method that leads to instant death or death after stunning. However, the proposal would include an exemption to allow slaughter to be carried out in accordance with religious rites without prior stunning, in line with current practice in the UK.
Press release ~ Consultation on the proposal for a Council regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing ~ Defra - Farmed animal welfare: Slaughter
Defra: Farmers in England will not have to tag sheep intended for slaughter before they are 12 months old when the new EU Electronic Identification (EID) rules come into force on 31 December 2009, Farming Minister Jane Kennedy has announced.
The Government has already secured a number of other changes to the EID regulations including:
* no animals have to be recorded individually on a movement document until 1 January 2011
* no animals born before 31 January 2009 have to be recorded individually on a movement document until 31 December 2011
* no animals born before 31 December 2009 and moving to slaughter (directly or via a market) have to be recorded individually on a movement document at all.
Press release ~ Defra - Livestock movements, identification and tracing: electronic identification (EID) in sheep
Defra: Defra is seeking views on the UK application to the European Commission for an extension to meet air quality targets for Particulate Matter (PM10). The application for an extension will be submitted to the European Commission as soon as possible after this consultation has closed (10 March 2009) – See ‘Consultations’ for further information.
