§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make it his policy to ban the tethering of sows in stalls; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he has made an assessment of the animal welfare implications of the use of narrow stalls to contain sows; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he has made an assessment of the space required to allow a sow to perform her natural functions, including grooming, turning and stretching; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Farm Animal Welfare Council has undertaken an assessment of pig production systems. It concluded that stall and tether systems for dry sows fail to meet important welfare criteria including freedom to exercise and to display most normal behaviour patterns. It recommended that new stall or tether systems should be banned and that existing systems of this type should be phased out as soon as the Government are content that welfare related problems have been eliminated from the emerging alternative systems and that they are commercially viable.
The Government have accepted these conclusions and are seeking to have them implemented through European Community legislation as soon as possible.