§ Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the members of the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee were unanimous in their support for the use of sow stalls.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe recommendations of the Advisory Committee are confidential to Ministers, and I am not prepared to disclose them.
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§ Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what inquiries his Department have undertaken to determine the level of discomforts suffered by sows raised in normal conditions of husbandry which are removed when they spend their whole breeding life in sow stalls;
(2) what inquiries his Department have undertaken to measure the extent to which there is fighting and cannibalism among sows raised under well regulated systems of husbandry other than by sow stalls in factory farms.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartMy Department has not undertaken inquiries of this particular kind, but the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee is at present considering the need for studies on the welfare of sows kept under different systems. In the meantime, the welfare code for pigs contains recommendations designed to safeguard the welfare of sows, whether kept in stalls or otherwise.
§ Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library copies of the reports by the Farm Animals Welfare Advisory Committee and the State Veterinary Service on the use of sow stalls.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe Reports by the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the State Veterinary Service which contains sections on sow stalls were placed in the Library on 29th September, 1970.