On Saturday, the Guardian reported that the government is planning to hand over responsibility for animal welfare guidance to the livestock industry.

Defra's plans to allow poultry farm groups to set the welfare agenda, as part of a shift towards ‘industry-led’ guidance from April this year, have attracted criticism from welfare groups and the opposition Labour Party. The British Poultry Council will be placed in charge of producing and keeping future guidance for poultry from 27 April, and Defra officials have said the government will begin working with other livestock bodies as part of its deregulation agenda.

Defra officials have stressed that regulations on criminal mistreatment of animals will remain the same, but that industry will lead on producing voluntary welfare guidelines.

Even so, animal welfare advocates have warned that the plan could lead to a reduction in welfare standards and is at the very least likely to result in a reduced ambition for further welfare improvements.

Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming, commented, “The Government’s welfare codes have long been a useful addition to UK legislation on farm animal welfare, because they provide guidance to farmers on how to achieve better welfare in a practical and accessible way.
 
“Seeing these codes scrapped and re-hashed in the hands of the industry is a serious step backwards. What signal is the government sending, when they are willing to step back and relinquish the reins?
 
“At a time where public concern and awareness for the welfare of farmed animals is at its highest, I think inevitably, we will see a dilution of the codes. This can only be a bad thing, for those farmers rearing their animals to a higher welfare standard and indeed for our chickens.”

On Wednesday the RSPCA said it has been raising concerns for the past three years about Government moves to downgrade Codes of Recommendations for farm (and companion) animals in England from statutory to industry-developed Guidance.

Although Defra has said the industry-developed guidance will still carry the same legal weight, and can still be used in court cases involving criminal mistreatment, an RSPCA spokesperson said, “We are concerned that this change to Guidance could impact on the legal weighting these documents have in providing magistrates with legal guidance when considering negligence during animal welfare prosecutions.”

The spokesperson added, “We also have concerns that the new Guidance documents may not contain the same level of welfare information as the existing Codes and may only serve to help ensure animal keepers are compliant with minimum legal requirements. The Codes should be aspirational rather than baseline. At present they provide those responsible for keeping animals with clear detail regarding their legal obligations as well as information to encourage them to adopt husbandry procedures that go above the minimum legal requirements.”

Welfare groups including the RSPCA have also been critical of the lack of transparency in the government’s moves to change the guidance. The Guardian broke the story following a freedom of information request.

The revelation comes just months after the government faced criticism over a U-turn on animal welfare policy. In November, farming minister George Eustice announced that the government would no longer be implementing a ban on beak trimming in chickens. The announcement, made after a report from the industry-led Beak Trimming Action Group was delivered to the minster, attracted the ire of welfare campaigners.

Peter Stevenson, chief policy advisor with Compassion in World Farming, who worked on the Action Group, said Compassion had distanced itself from the report due to its “weak conclusions and weak recommendations for government.”

RSPCA said the charity, and figures within Parliament, are asking Defra not to revoke the statutory codes until there has been a full consultation on their replacement.

On Wednesday, the British veterinary Association also warned that the move could undermine public confidence in animal welfare standards. BVA President Sean Wensley, said, “It is essential that any changes to the welfare codes do not undermine public confidence in the high animal welfare standards set for English farms. Although BVA broadly supported the idea of moving to a more flexible system that could take account of new animal welfare science, we maintained that a range of expertise must be used to draw up new guidance.
 
“We are pleased that there will be no changes to the legislation that underpins animal welfare but it is unclear where the checks and balances now lie. It is vital that Defra puts measures in place urgently to provide that reassurance.”

The British Poultry Council has been contacted for comment.