Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of the use of barren cages in gamebird units in contravention of the welfare code for gamebirds; and if she will make a statement.
George Eustice
Recent Defra funded research into the use of cages for gamebirds showed that enrichment and space allowance, in the forms provided, had little impact on the welfare of caged pheasants. However, egg production and quality and most measures of pheasant welfare were improved in cages compared to floor pens. For the partridges, the behavioural results indicated that enrichment might be positive for welfare and was probably a more valuable modification than increasing the size of an otherwise barren cage. However, the research also concluded that there might be penalties from parasitism and reduced egg production if enrichment is offered at a conventional space allowance. The published research can be found:
We intend to discuss the findings of the research with industry and welfare organisations as part of next year’s review of the “Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes”.
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