Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

THE RSPCA has said the UK Government's new animal welfare strategy is an:- 'important 1st step' to improving millions of animals' lives.

The charity welcomed measures announced today which could improve the welfare of farmed animals, pets and wildlife in the UK.

The strategy includes measures to tackle cruel practices such as:- cages for laying hens, pig farrowing crates, and CO2 pig stunning; snares and trail hunting; the extreme breeding of dogs and the promotion of slower growing meat chickens.

RSPCA Director of Advocacy and Prevention Thomas Schultz-Jagow said:- "We welcome the UK government’s new animal welfare strategy, which is an important 1st step towards improving the lives of millions of farmed animals, pets and wildlife. People in the UK love animals and they want to see governments leading the way to outlaw cruel practices which cause suffering, and pass laws which give all animals the kindness and respect they deserve."

The new strategy comprises measures aimed at improving welfare within the farming sector, as well as for pets and wildlife.

Lower welfare farming is the single biggest welfare issue facing animals, due to the sheer scale and extent of suffering - more than a billion animals are farmed for food in the UK every year. The new strategy aims to address the cruel practice of keeping farmed animals in cages and the use of concentrated CO2 in pig slaughter, a method which causes significant distress and suffering. The RSPCA has called for these problems to be solved for a decade.

It will also tackle the issue of faster growing chickens, which make up the majority of chicken on UK supermarket shelves, by promoting slower growing breeds. Fast growing chickens grow so quickly that they struggle to walk around properly, often suffering from heart defects, lameness and early death. The RSPCA’s welfare standards pioneered slower growing breeds under its farm assurance scheme RSPCA Assured and the charity welcomes any steps to improve the welfare of meat chickens.

For the 1st time, the Government proposes consulting on introducing standards for fish slaughter, which, if introduced, give fish much needed legal protection. It also proposes guidance for killing decapods, including potentially outlawing live boiling. This is long overdue as decapods have been recognised as sentient under the 2022 Animal Sentience Act, suffering pain and distress during this inhumane practice.

RSPCA Assured is the RSPCA’s ethical food label, and assesses more than 4,000 farms and businesses every year to check they’re following hundreds of higher welfare standards.

Executive Director Toby Baker says:- "When we visit an RSPCA Assured member farm, the importance of higher welfare farming is clear; we see thriving, healthy animals with space to move, exercise, rest, and feed, free from crates and cages. This is what we want for all farmed animals. “Creating a kinder food system that benefits everyone is not an impossible dream; we know it can be done. 30 years ago, battery hen farming was common, and while around 20% of hens are still kept in cramped cages, eight out of 10 eggs produced today are from cage free birds. That just shows what can be achieved when the Government, farmers and welfare experts work together. Until we have better legal protections for farmed animals in place, the easiest way for the public to choose higher welfare products is to look for the RSPCA Assured label."

The RSPCA is disappointed that the Government’s plans on introducing a mandatory method of production labelling are not in the strategy. Their consultation on this last year showed that 99% of individuals who contributed supported clear and transparent labels on their food to show how an animal has been reared. It is a critical next step to give consumers the power to vote with their wallets for better welfare.

Measures to improve pet welfare include:- tightening up dog breeding regulations to improve their health and welfare as well as further measures to tackle puppy farms. Extreme breeding of dogs, leading to traits like:- flat faces, causes widespread pain and suffering, and the RSPCA welcomes steps to ensure that every animal is bred so they can enjoy healthy and happy lives. The government proposes that all dog breeders be registered, making breeders more accountable for the welfare of the animals in their care.

There are moves to license dog fertility clinics, which are currently unregulated, to help ensure the breeding of healthy pets. The government also announced measures to license pet rescue and rehoming centres, and the RSPCA welcomes moves to ensure every rescued animal gets the care they deserve, calling for this to cover both pets and wildlife.

RSPCA Head of Public Affairs David Bowles said:- "Health and welfare must come first when breeding pets. The increasingly extreme breeding of animals with exaggerated traits like skin folds or flat faces is causing widespread suffering, and it is crucial that we ensure breeders put the animals’ welfare, not their looks or their wallets, 1st. These proposals, if introduced and properly enforced, could ensure that the pets we love live happy and healthy lives."

There was positive news relating to wildlife with a consultation into a ban on trail hunting, which was a manifesto commitment;- and moves towards banning snares and restricting the use of other cruel devices like spring traps, as well as introducing a statutory closed season for hares.

Mounting evidence since the Hunting Act came into force in 2004 suggests that:- 'legal' trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen to undertake illegal hunting with dogs. Every year, wild animals, pets and livestock continue to suffer whilst being chased and killed by packs of hounds.

Snares are wire noose animal traps, which cause suffering not only to animals like foxes that are often the target of such traps, but also to other animals like badgers and even domestic animals like cats. Snares cannot discriminate between:- species, and any animal that moves through the noose is a potential victim. A 2012 report by Defra estimated around 1.7m animals were caught in snares and although the lack of data makes it difficult to accurately assess the welfare impact on target and non target species, the average proportion of non-target species caught in snares each year is around 70%.

The RSPCA welcomes the introduction of a statutory closed season for hares, a vital welfare measure that will prevent the orphaned starvation of dependent leverets and ensure these iconic animals are finally protected during their most vulnerable breeding months.

David Bowles continued:- "We need a robust Animal Welfare strategy, because the way we breed animals, rear them for food, sell them for profit, use them for sport or encroach on their habitat can have unintended consequences for their welfare. This year, we have held the biggest ever national conversation on animal welfare through our Animal Futures Project, and it is clear that animal welfare really matters to people in the UK. This strategy, the trade strategy and the UK Government's announcement last month to accelerate the phase out of animals used in science show a strong commitment to animal welfare. We look forward to working with the government during this Parliament to bring these proposals to fruition and give animals the protection they deserve. This plan is a really encouraging start and will need to be implemented with strong laws and enforcement to ensure it delivers real change for animals."