3. The feeding to poultry of products derived from chicken meat and bones should be avoided. This will minimise the possibility of disease transmission through the feed (paragraph 43).
4. In battery cage and multi-level systems, light intensity should be at least 5 lux, and preferably not less than 10 lux, measured at any feed trough level; in other systems, light intensity in the perching, walking and feeding areas should be at least 10 lux measured at bird eye height (paragraph 49).
5. We urge the Government to take action to ensure that the welfare of the UK flock is not disadvantaged by formalities which inhibit the availability of effective medicines (paragraph 58).
6. We consider that beak trimming is a most undesirable mutilation which should be avoided if at all possible and only used if essential to prevent worse welfare problems of injurious feather pecking and cannibalism (paragraph 69).
7. All breeding companies should be strongly encouraged by the laying hen industry and Government to pursue genetic selection for birds which display less injurious behaviour (paragraph 72).
8. We recommend that, if beak trimming is essential, it should be carried out at up to 10 days of age (ideally 7-10 days of age which is currently best practice in the UK industry). Neither trimming nor re-trimming of older birds should be carried out other than under the recommendation of a veterinarian and only in order to avoid a worse welfare problem, e.g. caused by an outbreak of cannibalism (paragraph 73).
9. The law already prohibits the fitting of blinkers by a method involving the penetration or other mutilation of the nasal septum. FAWC believes that all forms of devices fitted to hens' heads (such as spectacles, contact lenses and nasal bits) are detrimental to welfare and should be prohibited
(paragraph 75).
10. Where hens are kept extensively and may be free to range it is important to provide some overhead shelter and to ensure that they are protected from predators by day and confined in the building during the hours of darkness (paragraph 88).
11. Those responsible for the management of the farm should ensure that the hens are cared for by sufficient, well-motivated, competent, properly trained stockpeople. Any contract or casual labour used in periods of increased workload should be trained and competent in the relevant activity. Producers, and producer organisations, should take steps to ensure that standards of formal training are monitored (paragraph 90).
12. The law requires hens to be inspected at least daily. This inspection should be sufficiently thorough to detect illness and injury of individual hens and we believe that inspection should take place at least twice a day (paragraph 93).
13. FAWC believes strongly that conventional cages with a minimum space allowance of 450cm²/hen, as prescribed in the present EC Directive (88/166/EEC), are unacceptable and that more space must be provided as a matter of urgency. We recommend that the Directive should be amended immediately to require a minimum space allowance in all battery cages of 600cm²/hen within five years and with immediate effect in new installations. Uniform and effective implementation and enforcement of the amended Directive are essential throughout the EU; imports of eggs from third countries should be subject to the same conditions (paragraph 98).
14. We urge the Government to pursue implementation of recommendations made in the Report on the Welfare of Hens in Colony Systems (1991) and accepted in the Government response for implementation on an EU basis (some of these are modified in the following paragraphs). The forthcoming EU review offers an ideal opportunity to do this (paragraph 111).
15. Best practice within the industry would suggest that in non-cage systems individual nest boxes should be provided at a rate of at least one for every five or six hens and that communal nest boxes should be provided at a maximum rate of 120 birds/m² of nest box area, dependent on well designed nest boxes and the appropriate strain of bird (paragraph 113).
16. We recommend a minimum perching allocation of 15cm length per hen in non-cage systems, provided that the system design allows easy perch access (paragraph 115).
17. We accept industry best practice and recommend allowing a maximum of 100 hens per standard bell-type drinker or 10 birds per nipple or cup drinker (paragraph 117).
18. We re-iterate our earlier recommendation for a minimum provision of 10cm of linear feed trough length per hen (i.e. 5cm each side). We also now recommend at least 4cm per hen of the perimeter when circular feeders are used (paragraph 118).
19. For free range hens, we recommend that the maximum stocking density of 1000 birds per hectare is maintained. We agree with industry practice that a maximum distance of 350 m from the poultry building should be allowed for the purpose of calculating the total number of birds that may be kept in an enclosure (paragraph 128).
20. It is important to establish a system of rotation of grazing or house movement in order to prevent poaching and build up of disease
(paragraph 129).
21. Planning authorities should accept animal welfare as an important factor when siting poultry houses. Where necessary, officials should seek expert advice from those with experience of hen welfare (paragraph 138).