§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received following the postponement of the European Commission's report on sow confinement conditions.
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§ Mr. MacleanThe recently agreed Council Directive on pig welfare requires a review to be carried out, particularly on the confinement of sows, by the end of 1997. The United Kingdom voted against the directive on the grounds that it should have phased out stall systems as well as tethers and that the time scale for Community action should have been shorter. We have received numerous representations from the industry, welfare interests and individuals agreeing with this view.
We have made it clear that the Government will press for the review to be completed as soon as possible and for our high welfare standards to be adopted throughout the Community.