Defra secretary shares plans for pig sector reform
Government measures will include a consultation on the use of CO2 gas stunning.
Emma Reynolds, secretary for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has shared the first steps of the government’s Animal Welfare Strategy.
In a written ministerial statement, shared with the National Pig Association (NPA), Ms Reynolds has published more details on how these steps relate to the UK’s pig sector.
The Animal Welfare Strategy was published by Defra before Christmas, and includes plans for long term animal welfare improvement across various animal sectors. The strategy was welcomed by charities, including the RSPCA.
Within the farm animal sector, the plan will see keepers move away from confinement systems for their animals. This includes the cessation of colony cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs.
Defra expects that this will allow animals to better express their natural behaviours.
The strategy also hopes to improve pig welfare at the time of killing. This will mean a consultation for the use of CO2 gas stunning, which can cause pain and distress.
The process will begin with two public consultations which are due to be held in January.
The first consultation will cover the use of cages for laying hens, pullets and breeder layers. A second consultation will discuss lamb castration and tail docking.
There will also be consultations on farrowing systems and CO2 in 2026, however no specific timescales have been mentioned.
Defra is seeking to make these long-term changes and improvements to farm animal welfare by 2030. Ms Reynolds says the strategy has been created with collaboration from stakeholders from each sector.
The government has also committed to working with the livestock industry to promote slow-growing meat chicken breeds and introduce humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish.
Other commitments in the Animal Welfare Strategy will see the government tackle puppy farming, ban trail hunting and end the use of snare traps.
Ms Reynolds said: “This government is committed to safeguarding the welfare of animals for the long term, and we are changing how we will deliver the improvements needed to achieve the most ambitious reforms to animal welfare in a generation,”
“By improving animal welfare standards, we are supporting healthier, more productive livestock that delivers better outcomes for farmers, farm profitability, food security and the high welfare standards that British consumers expect.”
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