§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many battery hen factories were visited by his Department's veterinary inspectors in each of the last five years and in 1987 to date; what proportion of all such factories this represents in each year; and how many visits were made in total for each year;
(2) what efforts are made by his Department to monitor compliance with the code of recommendations for the welfare of domestic fowl and battery hens in particular; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonMy veterinary staff make specific welfare visits to livestock farms, including battery hen units, to check on compliance with the welfare codes. Where it is found that code provisions are not being followed, advice is given on the steps needed to improve conditions. Follow-up visits are made to check that the necessary action has been taken.
The total number of welfare visits in the period in question is as follows. I regret that information on the number of visits to battery hen establishments is not available, but these will have accounted for a significant proportion of the total.
Year Number of welfare visits 1982 3,987 1983 5,498 1984 5,391 1985 6,064 1986 5,804 11987 3,891 1 January to September.