Changes proposed to poultry catching and handling in the UK

European Regulation 1/2005 specifically prohibits lifting or dragging animals by their legs, as it is considered to cause unnecessary pain or suffering. This prohibition applies to all vertebrate animals, including poultry, during transport and related operations. Photo: Ton Kastermans Photography

Proposed changes to how poultry handlers can legally catch and handle chickens for transport as part of their commercial activities are likely to appease egg and poultry farmers.

Defra has launched a consultation on proposed changes to how handlers are allowed to catch (lift and carry) laying hens and broilers when loading and unloading for transport. It is proposed to make the law clearer so that handlers can catch birds by 2 legs, in line with established welfare guidance.

Defra’s statutory code of practice for the welfare of laying hens and pullets, and the welfare of meat chickens and meat breeding chickens, and similar codes in England and Scotland, include catching chickens by both legs as an appropriate and acceptable method.

Not permitted in the EU

But it may put the UK at odds with European Union nations. The current EU legislation (Regulation 1/2005) on the protection of animals during transport and related operations does not currently include manual lifting and carrying (catching) by 2 legs as a permitted method for poultry.

Defra said it proposed to amend Regulation 1/2005 to:

Permit chickens to be caught by 2 legs
Explicitly disallow catching by 1 leg

It added that this would provide the British egg and meat chicken industries, and the catching companies, with clarity on the legal requirements that apply to poultry catching operations. It will also ensure that chickens can continue to be transported between housing units and delivered for processing in an efficient and timely manner, without lowering welfare standards in practice.

Further research

The government is also looking to commission targeted research to address important gaps in the evidence base. This will compare welfare outcomes and logistical parameters associated with different catching methods (including upright catching of chickens by the body and by 2 legs) when performed commercially and at scale. This will help establish whether future changes are needed to the legislation or to the GB statutory guidance in the long term.

It also wants to gather more information on:

How long it takes to catch chickens using different methods in different housing systems
How turkeys are currently caught and lifted
How to gather data to understand the links between catching methods, the number of people in a catching team and animal welfare.

Last year, the government’s Animal Welfare Committee produced a report that recommended the catching of chickens by their legs. This led to the Animal Law Foundation, a UK-based charity, to say the current illegal and inhumane handling of chickens in the UK was a stark reminder of the need to prioritise animal welfare in society.