Welfarists, scientists, government officials and industry representatives—including BFREPA executives—are meeting this month to discuss the welfare of poultry during transportation.
The meeting has been arranged by the RSPCA’s farm animals department following various discussions the organisation has been engaged in regarding the welfare of farm animals during transportation, both in the UK and at EU level.
The RSPCA says the main purpose of the ongoing talks is to consider the key welfare issues associated with the transportation of poultry and to identify difficult areas which are of common interest to producers, welfarists and scientists alike.
The European Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare is due to produce a report this Spring concerning the welfare of poultry during transportation, which will help form the basis of the EU’s proposed revision of current transport regulations. It is expected that the EU Report will incorporate findings from the latest scientific research.
“We believe it would be timely to have a meeting to discuss the various welfare issues in more detail and to consider the findings of relevant work and how this may have an impact on future recommendations and possibly influence changes to existing legislation,” said the RSPCA’s senior scientific officer Caroline Le Sueur.
