UK broiler industry up in arms about poultry transport plans

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in the UK has lashed out at that country’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about proposals to improve animal welfare during transporting.

Chairperson of the NFU’s Poultry Board, Thomas Wornham, said the government’s response to consultations had resulted in “ill-thought-out” proposals.

According to Farmers Weekly in the UK, there were three main areas of concern for broiler producers in the proposals: they would only be able to transport birds when the external temperature range was between 5˚C and 25˚C; there would be a fourhour maximum journey time for broilers and endof-lay hens destined for slaughter; and a maximum journey time of 21 hours would be allowed for dayold broiler breeding stock.

Richard Griffiths, the British Poultry Council’s chief executive, said: “Half of all journeys fall outside of that range. It’s very weather-dependent, making it impossible to plan journeys. And [as for] the government’s suggestion of using thermoregulated vehicles, they don’t exist here yet.”

British Poultry Council member Charles Bourns, a large-scale broiler producer, also expressed concern about meeting the proposals for loading birds at night.

“We catch the birds when it’s dark because it’s better for their welfare. If we can’t load before the temperature is 5˚C, we could be in trouble in autumn and winter. On a practical level, this proposal would mean that we can’t grow broilers in winter.

“In summer it’s less of an issue, as temperatures are not very often higher than 25˚C.” – Staff reporter

FW ARCHIVE Poultry farmers in the UK are questioning the practicality of new government proposals for the transportation of birds.