Chicken rules may give Europe a start

New European legislation due to come into effect later this year is to restrict the amount of chickens that can be kept per square metre on farms.

Defra has elected to set this at 39 chickens per square metre and the move is due to be passed into law once the new Government is formed.

However, countries like Poland and Ireland, the principal source of chicken imports into the UK, have set the maximum amount of birds at a higher level, sparking fears that UK producers will be placed at a competitive disadvantage as their rivals operate with more birds on their farms.

Robert Newbery, chief poultry adviser with the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said: "Our understanding is that the Dutch, the Poles and the Irish will allow some producers to operate with 42 birds per cubic metre. We are stuck with 39.

"Obviously this could mean UK farmers facing a disadvantage.

"Fifty five per cent of what we import in terms of chicken comes from the Netherlands and Poland; this could deny UK farmers access to this market place.

"If I was to give an example of Government having gone crazy it would be this. It does give consumers confidence that whatever chicken they are buying is protected by legally stringent standards of welfare.

"However chicken producers do not have a level playing field.

"The fact that it has been implemented like this is disappointing."

The new regulations were due to come into force next month but Mr Newbery said it could now be as late as October by the time it gets passed into legislation as the new Government sets about the task of dealing with the issues facing the country in 2010.

He added that it was difficult to tell what kind of an impact this would have on producers.

"Certainly honest labelling is important and we do not want to see anywhere the practice of selling chicken produced to standards below our own and then passed off as British."

Mr Newbery said the NFU would push the next government for an increase in the maximum stocking density.

A statement on the matter from Defra said: "It is the intention that English legislation will be made later in 2010 and it will set a maximum stocking density of 39kg/m2.

"All previous legislation will continue to operate. The code of recommendations for the welfare of meat chickens is currently being reviewed and a draft version will be made available online later in 2010."

CW 8/5/10