Animal welfare reforms welcomed but farmers raise concerns

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Hen Headshot - stock photo - Getty Images

Animal welfare groups have welcomed the government’s strategy, but farming industry bodies say it could lead to exported production

The government’s much-anticipated animal welfare strategy has been welcomed by farmers and animal rights groups.

The strategy has pledged to bring improved welfare for farmed animals, including by moving away from confinement systems such as colony cages and laying hens and the use of pig farrowing crates, and promoting the use of slow-growing meat chicken breeds.

The government also announced it would address the welfare issues that arise from carbon dioxide to stun pigs and introduce humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish.

While the full report is yet to be published by Defra, the headline announcements have been welcomed by the sector.

“The government is raising the bar for farmed animal welfare,” said Compassion in World Farming head Anthony Field, adding the move to phase out cages and farrowing crates for pigs would benefit over seven million hens and 150,000 pigs annually.

“Compassion very much welcomes the government’s leadership on this and looks forward to working with them to turn these commitments into much-needed policy changes as soon as possible,” he added.

Field was joined in his praise by Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane World for Animals, who said the move was “in tune with both welfare science and public opinion”.

“Supporting farmers to give animals more of the freedom they need and deserve is a hugely commendable and popular goal,” Bass added.

It was also welcomed by farming communities, with president of the NFU Tom Bradshaw saying that upholding high standards has “always been of paramount importance to British farmers”.

However, concerns have been raised that with the raising of animal welfare standards in the UK, British farmers risk being undercut by imports produced to a lower standard.

“We have long called for a set of core standards for food imported into the UK; it must meet the same production standards as asked of our farmers,” Bradshaw said. “It is what the British people expect and it is time a system of core standards was properly established in UK law.”

The CEO of the British Egg Industry Council, Nick Allen, echoed Bradshaw’s concerns that the move “risks simply exporting food production overseas, significantly raising the number of imports”.

“Our research shows that consumers already feel misled by the use of imported eggs in products such as quiches and sandwiches, and this proposal risks exacerbating the problem,” Allen continued. “By intervening through regulation, rather than allowing consumer choice to guide the market, sections of society may be forced to pay more for eggs or, in some cases, remove them from their shopping baskets altogether.”

The egg sector has been coping with a marked increase in Ukrainian egg imports, with data courtesy of Department for Business & Trade showing the UK imported 11.0kt of shell eggs from the Ukraine in the past 12 months, up from 0.4kt in the 12 months to September 2024.