Animal Welfare Bill

Given that the Bill is primarily enabling, it would seem contrary to its purposes to make specific provisions on the face of it, particularly when issues are to be dealt with under approved codes of practice. Furthermore, the Government have made clear that they intend to introduce a code of practice for the welfare of game birds. I acknowledge that the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, has raised an important issue and I condemn any improper rearing practices. Moreover, I appreciate her comments about gamekeepers. Too often, in my view, they are castigated as being inappropriate in the countryside, but those of us who have dealings with shoots and gamekeepers in rural areas know only too well the important contribution they make to conservation and biodiversity. The noble Baroness mentioned that BASC has taken it upon itself to raise this issue. However, my information is that it has done so unilaterally, without consulting the other organisations involved. That is regrettable, because if proper consultation had been allowed to take place, these problems could have been resolved. I declare an interest as president of the Game Conservancy Trust. It, together with the CLA, the National Gamekeepers’ Association and, perhaps most importantly in this instance the Game Farmers’ Association, feels that research needs to be done on this matter and has specifically come forward with the recommendation that it should be referred to the Farm Animal Welfare Council to look not just at rearing density but at raised laying units. We must also bear in mind that raised laying hens are used extensively abroad. I do not have the exact figures, but I know that a high percentage of the reared game birds released in this country are imported. The noble Lord, Lord Rooker, will by now be aware of my concerns on imported stock coming into this country which do not match the standards imposed on our own producers. I suspect that import controls on game birds coming into this country are unlikely to be imposed under the EU and WTO rules. No doubt the Minister will give me some guidance on that. We could therefore have the unsatisfactory situation in which controls are imposed on our farmers and game rearers—I thoroughly endorse such moves if they are appropriate—but it would be ridiculous if imports could come in from abroad which did not comply with the same rules. I hope therefore that the Government will resist the amendment and allow proper research to be carried out. It will go some way to determining the nature of the relevant codes of practice. Finally, under Clause 12 which deals with regulations to promote welfare, the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, has an amendment which will ensure that regulations made under subsection (1) shall be made on the basis of scientific evidence. I thoroughly endorse that proposal, but I believe that it should apply also to the rearing conditions of game birds. I hope that the Minister will resist that and rely on research that will ultimately determine the problem.