Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC)
During my evidence, I discussed FAWCs concerns
about the welfare implications of breeding strategies currently
being used in agriculture. I expressed the view of FAWC that this
has a greater negative impact on the welfare of farm animals than
the acts of omission or commission which producers may, from time
to time, be guilty of. The Chairman invited my expansion on this
point and, in response, I now enclose 20 copies of the recent
FAWC Report on the "Welfare Implications of Animal Breeding
and Breeding Technologies in Commercial Agriculture". I would
be grateful if they could be distributed to the members of the
Committee since this report eloquently expands on the points I
was making during the evidence session. The report seeks to achieve
a realistic balance between the needs of the animals involved
in modern agriculture and the needs of producers and identifies
the benefits that can result from selective breeding as well as
the threads which need to be averted.
Our main recommendation is the setting up of
a Standing Committee to consider issues associated with farm animal
breeding. Since producing our report in June 2004, I have had
discussions with my colleagues on CAWC (Companion Animal Welfare
Council) and the APC (Animal Procedures Committee) and they are
fully supportive of this concept and indeed, propose that the
Standing Committee should extend its remit to cover all animal
breeding (including companion animals). FAWC is content that its
initiative for farm animals should be extended in this way.
In relation to Clause 1 C, it was our belief
that this was self-evident. However we now appreciate its importance
from a drafting perspective and, on reflection, we are happy with
its inclusion. Similarly we felt that the definition of "animal"
is so fundamental to the proposed regulations that it should be
made clear earlier on in the text alongside other definitions.
However, we have no fundamental disagreement with the coverage
of the definition in the draft Bill.
I trust these comments will assist the Committee
in reaching its conclusions on this extremely important opportunity
to rationalise and update the animal welfare legislation.
28 September 2004
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