§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will introduce a maximum stocking density for broiler chickens; [16508]
(2) if he will require farmers to keep records of stocking densities of broiler chickens; [16509]
(3) if he will require the internal floor area available to each bird in a broiler chicken house to be clearly and permanently displayed at the entrance to the house. [16515]
§ Mrs. BrowningThese questions concern the implementation of recommendations in the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report on the welfare of broiler chickens.
As our detailed response to that report made clear, there is no overall benefit to farm animal welfare in introducing unilateral legislation where this would disadvantage our own producers while continuing to allow imports produced in systems with lower welfare standards. We have instead worked with our European partners to develop the new Council of Europe recommendation on the welfare of domestic fowl. This was adopted in 1995 and will serve in due course as the basis for EU legislation.
In addition to implementing many of the Farm Animal Welfare Council's recommendations, the new welfare code for broilers, which is currently in preparation, will take the new Council of Europe requirements into account.