Animal Welfare Bill

In response to the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, the title of the Bill is ““Animal Welfare””, so it approaches the issue from that point of view. In response to the noble Duke, the Duke of Montrose, we are determined to ensure that we work, as far as possible, on the basis of evidence. In response to the noble Countess, Lady Mar, I am afraid that I am not aware of the nocturnal and daytime antics of the male cock pheasant, even though I declare an interest, as a close member of the family camped out near a pheasant shoot where a cock bird arrived fairly frequently. What it got up to, however, I do not know. If I get any more information, I will tell the noble Countess. I realise that a serious point is made that, if they are being kept for breeding purposes, there obviously has to be a degree of access. The amendment of the noble Baroness would have the effect of setting minimum space requirements for adult game birds kept for breeding purposes, and make it an offence for anyone to breach the minimum standard. It would prevent the use of some types of cages for the production of pheasant and partridge eggs. We understand and sympathise with the purpose behind this amendment but believe, along with other noble Lords who have spoken, that it would be a mistake to include a clause like this in the Bill because it would be too inflexible. There is little scientific evidence of what is required for good game bird welfare and views could change in coming years. I note the point—and am sure that the organisations themselves will rectify it between now and Report—that the Game Farmers’ Association and other organisations have not expressed views on this. We are not prepared to ban laying units and battery cages at this stage. We share the concerns of the League Against Cruel Sports, Animal Aid and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation over the use of cage systems, and want to ensure that anything used to house game birds provides appropriate welfare for the birds. There is no ban proposed on the face of the Bill, but we will address this issue when considering the code of practice. The working group is due to start work to complete the code in the autumn. It will probably be ready towards the end of 2007; we are waiting for the results of research on certain management techniques before a code can be completed. We intend to issue, through secondary legislation, a code of practice covering general management, which would also cover such matters as aggression control and intensive methods of rearing. The industry has already provided advice, as some noble Lords have recognised, on the use and enrichment of such cages in their own code of practice. We intend to introduce a statutory code of practice to reinforce this. We anticipate that, in combination with the welfare offence, this will deal with the issue in the most flexible and effective manner. But if the evidence is that it does not, then I remind noble Lords—particularly the noble Baroness, Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer—that it would be possible to regulate under secondary legislation. The question of imports was raised by the noble Earl, Lord Peel. Around 40 per cent of pheasants reared come from France as eggs or day-old chicks, although there is also a small trade in six to eight week-old poults. Approximately 90 per cent of red-legged partridges are imported, the majority from France but also Spain and Poland. It is not possible to regulate rearing practices abroad, or to have general import restrictions under EU law. I hope that answers the point raised about standards across the EU. We expect the study into the use of bits and spectacles in the rearing of game birds to be produced soon. I have tried to cover all the points raised. We understand the concerns, but share the concern referred to by other noble Lords that we should act on the basis of scientific evidence, recognising the value of the voluntary code being produced to deal with the concerns of the noble Baroness.