§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals to improve farm animals' welfare he has received from the Council of Ministers to be carried forward during the UK presidency of the EU. [20977]
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§ Mr. MorleyThe last time the European Commission submitted a proposal on farm animal welfare for consideration by the Council of Ministers was in June 1997. This was the proposal concerning additional standards for road vehicles used to carry livestock on journeys exceeding eight hours, which is currently under discussion in the Council. We have been pressing the Commission hard—but so far fruitlessly—to bring forward their overdue proposals to update the EU rules on the welfare of laying hens and the welfare of animals and poultry at slaughter, as well as their promised proposal to safeguard the health status of breeding pigs resting at staging points. These are all subjects we wish to progress during our forthcoming Presidency. We will keep up our pressure on the Commission.