Dear Sir or Madam,

could you please get rid of all intensive farming of chickens in
the uk most people do buy free range eggs which is great but still
buy cheap intensively farmed chicken because prices in the
supermarkets are higher when i went the supermarket there were two
free range chickens but shelves full of intensive chicken they say
that they are giving us choice i dont think so

Yours faithfully,

Carl Holmes

Thank you for your email. We have a target of replying to all emails
within 15 working days. If you need a reply before then, please call the
Defra Helpline on 08459 33 55 77.

Many thanks,
Customer Contact Unit

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

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Dear Helpline, Defra (CCU),
please get reply back to me carl holmes on the issue of intensive
chicken farming

Yours sincerely,

Carl Holmes

Thank you for your email.

If your enquiry seeks advice on irish pork, please follow the link to the
food standards agency [1]www.food.gov.uk who are responsible

for this issue. We have a target of replying to all emails within 15
working days.

If you need a reply before then, please call the Defra Helpline on 08459
33 55 77.

Many thanks,

Customer Contact Unit

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

This email and any attachments is intended for the named recipient only.
If you have received it in error you have no authority to use, disclose,
store or copy any of its contents and you should destroy it and inform
the sender.
Whilst this email and associated attachments will have been checked
for known viruses whilst within Defra systems we can accept no
responsibility once it has left our systems.
Communications on Defra's computer systems may be monitored and/or
recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other
lawful purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.food.gov.uk/

Dear Mr Holmes,**

Welfare of Laying Hens and Broiler Chickens
****
Thank you for your email of 15 November about intensively farmed
chickens.** I have been asked to reply and I apologise for the delay in
doing so.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 protects the welfare of animals on-farm and
makes it an offence to cause suffering to any animal. The Act also
contains a duty of care to animals - this means that anyone responsible
for an animal must take reasonable steps to ensure the animal***s welfare
needs are met. In addition the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England)
Regulations 2007 lay down requirements in respect of general welfare,
inspection, housing and feeding for all farm animals.** However, until now
the meat chicken sector was the one major area of intensive livestock
production not so far covered by the programme of EU farm animal welfare
standards (specific rules already exist for pigs, calves and laying hens).

The European Commission Directive on the welfare of broiler chickens
gained agreement on 7 May 2007, after two years of negotiations.** The
Directive applies to holdings with more than 500 birds but does not apply
to free range and organic systems which have their own rules.** It focuses
on the welfare problems in intensive farming systems and takes into
account a range of factors including the latest scientific evidence,
veterinary advice, consumer concerns and industry practice.** For more
information see
[1]http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/...

The welfare code of recommendations specifically for meat chickens and
breeding chickens published in 2002 will now be revised to reflect the
Directive.** Flock-keepers are required by law to be familiar with and
have access to the welfare code, which encourage high standards of
husbandry.** Animal Health (formerly the State Veterinary Service) carries
out inspections of farm premises to check the welfare of livestock,
investigates all complaints and allegations about poor welfare on-farm and
also enforces the legislation.

The Government has been able to help bring about an end to the practice of
keeping laying hens in conventional cages throughout the EU.** In 1999,
the Council of Agriculture Ministers voted to adopt an EU Directive
(99/74/EC), which bans the practice of keeping laying hens in conventional
cages throughout the EU from 1 January 2012.

From 1 January 2003, no new conventional cage systems have been allowed to
be brought into use, and from the same date there has been a requirement
for an increased space allowance per hen in each cage.** The Directive
also lays down minimum welfare standards for keeping laying hens in other
systems, including enriched cages (which provide an increased space
allowance for each laying hen, together with a nest, litter for pecking
and scratching, and a perch), and non-cage systems such as a barn,
perchery and free-range.

The Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) was launched on 26
August 2003.** It supports the Government***s Sustainable Farming and Food
Strategy for England, which aims to deliver a world class sustainable
farming and food sector that contributes to a better environment and
healthier, prosperous communities.** Among the PSFPI objectives is one to
promote animal welfare.** For example, Defra issued a notice on 4 February
2008 alerting public sector bodies to the Government***s support of the
EU***s 2012 deadline for phasing out of conventional cage systems and
asking them to look at alternative methods of production in their future
buying of eggs and products containing eggs.** This notice was published
on the PSFPI web site at
[2]http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sust...

Public procurement law regulates the purchasing by public sector bodies of
contracts for goods, works or services.** It is designed to open up the
EU***s public procurement market to competition, to prevent ***buy
national*** policies and to promote the free movement of goods and
services.** There is also an obligation on public bodies to award certain
contracts, whether these are subject to the procurement rules or not, in
line with certain EC Treaty principles, including the principles of
non-discrimination, equal treatment, transparency, procedural fairness,
mutual recognition and proportionality.

We are currently developing a new clause for pork and bacon, which will
also serve as a model for other food commodities that can be included in
the food quality standards recently produced by the Office of Government
Commerce for the public sector *** see
[3]http://www.ogc.gov.uk/food_food_ingredie... Such an approach
makes it more likely that farm assurance standards (including animal
welfare) are integrated into public sector contracts.

I hope that this letter addresses your concerns.

Yours sincerely,**

**Margaret Branson
Defra - Customer Contact Unit

References

Visible links
1. http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/...
2. http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sust...
3. http://www.ogc.gov.uk/food_food_ingredie...