Motion· Early Day MotionEDM 150open
United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 21 December 2000
That this House notes that a recent report by the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare has revealed that serious health and welfare problems are imposed on the chickens reared for their meat by intensive broiler chicken production; further notes that the Scientific Committee concludes that rapid growth rates lead to chickens suffering from leg disorders and heart failure; notes that the Scientific Committee stresses that stocking densities should be significantly lower than those commonly used in the United Kingdom if major welfare problems are largely to be avoided; further notes that the Scientific Committee concludes that the severe feed restriction to which many broiler breeders are subjected results in the birds being very hungry and in unacceptable welfare problems; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to press the European Commission to prepare as soon as possible a proposed directive to address the problems highlighted by the Scientific Committee.
Motion· Early Day MotionEDM 307open
United Kingdom · UK Parliament · 24 January 2000
That this House is concerned that the WTO rules pose an increasing threat to attempts to secure improved standards of animal welfare; is dismayed that fears of WTO challenges have led to the EU severely diluting two of its key animal protection measures, the ban on the import of furs from countries using the leghold trap and the prohibition on the marketing of cosmetics tested on animals; believes that the WTO rules unduly constrain the EU's ability to introduce good new animal welfare measures and in particular to prohibit cruel rearing systems and the import of products derived from animals reared in such systems; believes that the WTO rules must be reformed to allow other legitimate considerations such as animal welfare to take an equal place alongside trade liberalisation; welcomes the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers' statement stressing that international acknowledgement of animal welfare rules must be one of the EU's key objectives for the next WTO round; and urges Her Majesty's Government to take the lead in persuading its EU partners to press vigorously for the adverse impact of the WTO rules on animal welfare to be brought to an end.