Washing its hands of animal welfare responsibilities

‘Deregulation’ - an ugly word, with an uglier meaning: Liz Truss, the environment secretary, is overseeing moves to scrap the statutory codes on farm animal welfare and move to an ‘industry-led’ guidance instead. A Government which prides itself on how much it cares for animals is handing over the reins to protect animal welfare to the very people who threaten it - all the while vigorously patting itself on the back for coming up with such an ingenious plan.

The Government’s welfare codes have long been a useful addition to UK legislation on farm animal welfare, because they provide guidance to farmers on how to achieve better welfare in a practical and accessible way. Anyone who has ever tried to read a legislative text will recognise the feeling of frustration in trying to decipher what almost feels like intentionally confusing jargon – so these codes are a helpful way of understanding what the government is trying to achieve.

Many practices which are so detrimental to animal welfare are seen by the intensive farming industry as essential. Piglets in the cramped conditions of a factory farm often chew each-others’ tails off out of boredom and frustration. Instead of providing a more stimulating environment, it is common for intensive farmers to dock piglets' tails. The Government’s Code of Recommendations for the welfare of pigs, for example, states that the painful procedure of tail-docking should only be carried out as a last resort. It is hard to imagine that an intensive farmer’s definition of ‘last resort’ would be the same as ours, or indeed, government officials. The way tail-docking is handled is the perfect example of how we can expect things to change should the deregulation go forward.

Government abandons animal welfare duties