The NFU and the industry have worked long and hard to convince government not to introduce a beak trimming ban in January. Gary Ford, our chief poultry adviser, explains why the biggest challenge lies ahead.
He writes:
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The subject is arguably the number one concern for layer farmers. The NFU and its members, as well as BTAG, said that preventing the industry from using infra-red beak trimming methods would be a massive risk to the sector.
Farmers were very concerned that untrimmed flocks could not be managed, flock in flock out, without an outbreak of injurious feather pecking. Pilot study work undertaken by the University of Bristol had shown that one of the trial flocks, which went untrimmed, had experienced over 30% mortality as a result of an outbreak of injurious feather pecking. Farmers were worried what this would mean for bird welfare, for their financial security and the well-being of their staff if the ban on IRBT was introduced in 2016 as planned. Turkey farmers were also concerned that they would be next – the feeling was that there would inevitably be pressure for a ban to be introduced into the turkey sector following a ban in the layer sector.
The NFU has used all of its resources on this issue - members, officeholders, group secretaries, county advisers and HQ staff - to raise our concerns with MPs, Liz Truss and the minister. We also used our membership of the All Party Parliamentary Group on eggs, pork and poultry meat to reinforce the merits and the need to continue beak trimming beyond 2015.
In conjunction with the BEIC and BFREPA, we circulated a beak trimming action pack to raise awareness. We coordinated and facilitated numerous MP farm visits to show them what we did in practice. We also sought to clarify that beak trimming is not de-beaking (i.e the removal of a considerable part of the bird’s beak). Beak trimming is the removal of the very tip of a bird’s beak using infra-red technology in the hatchery – a precise and painless process.
So what’s next?
The challenge now is for us and our members to continue the recent good work that the industry has achieved and actively work with other industry stakeholders towards a day when we no longer need to routinely beak trim laying hens. We need to be realistic and have our own industry ‘target date’.
Ten years would be ideal, but realistically five years will be the more likely timescale.
As part of the eight recommendations the minister can, if significant progress is not being made, take action which includes legislation. We need to avoid this scenario and therefore need to continue to make progress. The outcome must be in our hands and we must steer the ship. This means actively and cooperatively working with other industry stakeholders including welfare groups.