PROTECTION OF CHICKENS KEPT FOR MEAT PRODUCTION
(9606/05)
Letter from Ben Bradshaw MP, Minister
for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Chairman
I am writing to update you on the progress of
negotiations in Brussels on the meat chicken welfare Directive
and to respond to your on-going concerns about animal welfare
standards in third countries.
EM 9606/05 set out the detail of the proposal
for the Directive and a subsequent SEM provided information on
the changes that the UK made to the proposal during its Presidency.
I wrote to you on 23 May 2006[79]
in response to your concerns that any improvements in EU animal
welfare standards could be undermined by imports produced more
cheaply from third countries due to less stringent welfare conditions.
You asked in particular whether EU consumers could be provided
with assurances that chicken imported from third countries had
been reared under welfare conditions equal to those proposed by
the Commission, details of monitoring of welfare standards in
third countries; and sanctions imposed if standards were found
to be failing.
The meat chicken welfare Directive will provide
common welfare standards for producers throughout the EU and thus
offer protection to our industry's competitiveness within the
single market. However, standards in third countries remains an
issue which cuts across all out work in animal welfare, not just
meat chicken welfare. As I explained in my earlier letter, WTO
rules do not permit import restrictions on the basis of welfare.
However there is a clear demand in the UK and EU for improved
welfare standards and in parallel with changes in Europe we need
to seek recognition of the need for worldwide welfare standards.
To this end, I have asked my Chief Veterinary Officer to consider
how we can engage better on a European and international basis
to increase welfare standards across the world, so that we can
carry on improving our welfare standards without jeopardising
the livelihoods of our producers.
Work to develop the proposal in the European
Council has continued. The objectives and structure of the Directive
is unchanged but the latest proposal from the Finnish Presidency
now includes: a lower maximum stocking density limit of 32kg/m2
in 2008; an upper maximum stocking density limit of 38kg/m2 in
2012 subject to review in 2011 following Commission report; and
a tolerance of 5% on final stocking density to allow for small
flock variations from the planned weight at slaughter (The lower
limit could thus be a maximum of 33.6kg and the upper limit a
maximum of 39.9kg before a producer was in breach of the rules).
Encouragingly, Finland has reduced administrative burdens in a
number of areas including record keeping, enforcement and inspection
and the role of the competent authorities.
The Finnish Presidency aim to gain agreement
to the draft Directive at December's agriculture Council. We continue
to stress that any Directive must offer real improvements for
meat chickens within an acceptable timeframe and avoid unnecessary
cost and complexity to the industry and competent authorities.
As things stand, the current Finnish proposal does, on balance,
achieve these outcomes.
13 November 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Ben Bradshaw
MP
Sub-Committee D considered your letter of 13
November at its meeting on 6 December.
Our concerns about the potential for imports
from third countries with lower chicken welfare standards to undermine
the improvements envisaged in the Directive remain. Nonetheless,
noting that you have asked your Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO)
to explore how we might engage effectively to improve standards
in third countries, we are content clear the proposal from scrutiny.
We would ask however that you keep us informed
of developments on this proposal and provide regular updates of
progress in the work which your CVO is undertaking.
6 December 2006
Letter from Ben Bradshaw MP to the Chairman
As requested in your letter of 6 December I
am writing to provide you with an update of developments in negotiations
of a new meat chicken welfare Directive and progress on the work
we are undertaking to engage better on a European and international
basis to increase welfare standards across the world.
Unfortunately, negotiations on the Directive
collapsed at the end of last year. The Finnish Presidency had
worked hard to produce a compromise proposal which was supported
by many Member States, including the UK. We felt that this document
offered the best chance of securing real improvements to the welfare
of meat chickens. However, a small number of countries could not
agree to the text and thus a vote was not taken at December's
Agriculture Council. It is not clear whether the German Presidency
will re-start negotiations. I am not optimistic.
The Department's CVO and her team engages on
a European and wider international basis to increase welfare standards
across the world and thus address competition issues arising from
high standards in the UK.
The UK was actively involved with the Council
of Europe in arrangements for the workshop on "Animal Welfare
in Europe: achievements and future prospects" held in Strasbourg
in November 2006 which aimed to promote the practical application
of legislation on animal welfare. This involved some 50 countries
including Russia and countries from Asiatic Europe with observers
from New Zealand and USA. The conference agreed a declaration
aimed at better co-ordination of the animal welfare work of the
Council of Europe, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
and the EU.[80]
There are a number of current workstreams which
are relevant to improving welfare standards in third countries.
We will continue to work with the OlE which comprises nearly 170
member countries to develop animal welfare guidelines. A meeting
is planned for May 2007 at which we will support adoption of revisions
to the guidelines on the welfare of animals during transport by
sea and by land. We will continue to support the work of the EC
in welfare discussions during equivalence negotiations under EU
Agreements with the USA, Canada and New Zealand.
We will continue to work with the FCO to support
the World Society for the Protection of Animals in its initiative
to gain agreement to a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare
to further encourage nations to respect the welfare needs of animals
to promote animal welfare. A ministerial conference intended to
prepare the ground for adoption by the United Nations is planned
for the end of the year in New York.
Finally, we will continue to support Commission
activity to achieve greater acceptance of animal welfare policies
at World Trade Organisation level. Progress within the WTO is,
however, likely to be slow with no significant developments expected
in the foreseeable future. We will however ensure that the Committee
is kept advised of developments.
22 January 2007
Letter from the Chairman to Ben Bradshaw
MP
Thank you for your letter of 22 January 2007
on the above which was considered by Sub Committee D at its meeting
of 7 February.
We are grateful for your update and we would
like to re-iterate our support for your efforts in attempting
to get this important Directive agreed.
7 February 2007
79 Correspondence from Ministers, 40th Report of Session
2006-07, HL Paper 187, pp 270-271. Back
80
Further information is available at
http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal%5Faffairs/legal%5Fco%2Doperation/biological%5Fsafety%2C%5Fuse%5Fof%5Fanimals/Seminar/ Back
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