Consultation on the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Meat Chickens & Meat Breeding Chickens
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) seeks views on a new statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Meat Chickens and Meat Breeding Chickens for England.
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What is the existing legislation: Animal Welfare Act 2006
Who does this affect: England
When does this close: 6 October 2017
The existing statutory code provides owners and keepers of chickens only with guidance on how to comply with current welfare legislation. The proposed new statutory code aims to provide up-to-date guidance on the current legislation, maintain animal welfare standards, reflect the latest scientific and veterinary knowledge and be presented in a clear and relevant way for farmers.
The ten existing animal welfare codes in England were made under the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968. The existing statutory code has not been updated since 2002 and it does not reflect the additional rules related to the welfare of conventionally reared meat chickens, which came into force in 2010.
The new Code of Practice will be made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which is the most recent and relevant piece of legislation on this subject.
The consultation website contains the draft guidance that is the scope for comments from the interested parties.
The full text of the Consultation may be found here.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications