Food security minister Dame Angela Eagle has confirmed that the government is planning to publish a new animal welfare strategy by the end of this year and that it will cover the future of farrowing systems.
During Defra Questions in the Commons this morning, Dame Angela made it clear the government is committed to working with the industry on any move away from conventional farrowing crates.
She was asked by Green MP Adrian Ramsey what her planned timeline is for moving away from the use of farrowing crates and cages in farming.
The minister replied: “We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare, and will work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.
“The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue we are currently considering and, as was announced by the Prime Minister, we plan to publish the animal welfare strategy by the end of this year.”
Mr Ramsey then cited Animal Equality estimates that ‘around 200,000 sows in the UK spend nearly a quarter of their adult life confined in farrowing crates’ and figures showing ‘some 75% of vets are concerned’ and that ‘two thirds of the public oppose their use’.
He asked for detail about the animal welfare strategy, including whether the minister will commit to ‘phasing out the use of all farrowing crates and the equally cruel cages for birds, and what practical steps will be put in place to support farmers with the transition’.
Dame Angela stressed that ‘50% of the national sow breeding herd live freely and are not kept in these kinds of cage systems at all, which I think shows the way forward’.
“It is very important that we work with the industry to see how we can move away from the use of farrowing crates and create more flexible alternatives that are available to be introduced in a practical and pragmatic way,” she said.
Labour MP Terry Jermy questioned whether Defra will consider financial support for farmers to move towards ‘more sustainable and strong animal welfare standards’.
She replied: “We are always ready to consider how we can bring about the policies that will be set out in the animal welfare strategy when we publish it. We are pragmatic about how we can shift from outdated systems and modernise, and we are proud that we have some of the highest standards of animal welfare in the world.”
A voluntary industry transition to flexible farrowing systems is underway, with 5,000 flexible farrowing places currently installed and another 1,000 in the planning or building stage, according to the NPA. The industry has also committed to not installing new conventional crates.