§ 7. Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to make himself responsible for ensuring that any future projects involving the intensive rearing of lambs or any other four-legged farm animals do not involve cruelty to the animals either by the infliction of pain or by rearing under conditions that deny them natural light, pasture, and open-air freedom.
§ Mr. SoamesNo, Sir. It is already an offence under the Protection of Animals Act, 1911, to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal. Whether cruelty exists under any particular system of husbandry is a matter for the courts to decide.
§ Mr. BurdenWould not my right hon. Friend agree that if there is to be, as apparently there is, an extension of the intensive rearing of four-legged animals under the broiler system, it is time that the Government laid down some minimum standards at least to ensure that the animals are kept in reasonable conditions and not reared in an unreasonable way?
§ Mr. SoamesI do not believe that there is any reason to suppose that these animals are not kept in a reasonable condition. The whole object of the intensive rearing system is that the animals should thrive at a much quicker rate than they would under a different system, and animals will not thrive if they are suffering.
§ Mr. BenceWill the right hon. Gentleman introduce legislation to prevent any possibility of the forced feeding of four-legged animals? Is he not aware that birds are force-fed into the crop, which is slightly different from the forced feeding of a four-legged animal?
§ Mr. SoamesI do not know of any examples of that.
§ Mr. BurdenWould not my right hon. Friend agree that there was evidence of real cruelty to calves reared under this system in Holland, which was beginning to spread to this country, and that the Dutch Government introduced legislation to ensure that proper standards were maintained?
§ Mr. SoamesA survey carried out a year or eighteen months ago indicated that a few score farmers throughout England and Wales were rearing calves for veal by intensive methods. My latest information is that the numbers doing so are falling. Experience has shown that there is no reason why beef should not be reared this way in perfectly satisfactory surroundings.
§ Sir Richard PilkingtonIs my right hon. Friend satisfied that his regular inspection facilities are sufficient to find out what is happening?
§ Mr. SoamesCruelty is a matter for the courts. The Protection of Animals Act exists, and if there is evidence of cruelty to animals, then it is a matter for the courts.