Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with regard to the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes, what his Department's policy is on the acceptable temperature range inside the units that are used to house breeding game birds, in relation to the provision in that Code on protection from adverse weather conditions and extremes of temperature.

It remains the farmer/keeper’s responsibility to ensure that birds are kept in a suitable environment, as required by Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which includes the provision of suitable protection from adverse weather conditions.

The Code of Practice for the welfare of Gamebirds reared for Sporting Purposes states that when birds are housed or penned, the accommodation should be well constructed and managed and of sufficient size to ensure good health and welfare; which is best achieved by ensuring protection from adverse weather conditions and extremes of temperature. The code also states that there should be a contingency plan to prevent or deal with emergencies which would include extremes of temperature.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out targeted inspections on gamebird units in response to intelligence received. In determining whether a temperature range is suitable, APHA inspectors conduct a case-by-case assessment based on the birds’ environment, including any clinical signs in the birds, to verify compliance with the legislation. APHA also assess stockmanship and contingency actions that have been put in place to protect bird welfare.