Animal health and welfare

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Animal welfare: The welfare of cattle and calves

Code of recommendations for the welfare of livestock - Cattle (pdf 131kb)National Legislation

The welfare of cattle is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 under which it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal. The Act also contains a Duty of Care to animals – this means that anyone responsible for an animal must take reasonable steps to make sure the animal’s needs are met. This means that a person has to look after an animal’s welfare as well as ensure that it does not suffer.

These general requirements are supplemented by detailed requirements set out in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007 No 2078). These Regulations replaced the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 on 1st October 2007. Schedule 6 of these Regulations covers calves and Schedule 7 covers cattle. These schedules set down detailed requirements for e.g. accommodation, tethering, inspection, diet and water.

Further information of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007.

There is other legislation dealing with operations such as castration and disbudding. Details of Mutilations legislation are available.

Welfare Code

There is a Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Cattle, which contains advice for stock-keepers on best cattle husbandry practice. The existing Code continues to apply under the new Animal Welfare Act, but with the introduction of the Act and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007, the references to the legislation throughout the code are now out of date. Whilst the vast majority of the 2000 Regulations are replicated by the 2007 Regulations, you should check the legislation as it currently stands.

The welfare code on cattle PDF document (131 KB) can be downloaded here.

Enforcement

Animal Health (formerly the State Veterinary Service) carries out welfare inspections on farms to check that the legislation and the welfare codes are being followed. In addition to spot checks and planned visits, the Animal Health urgently follows up all complaints and allegations of poor welfare on specific farms. Where welfare problems are found, the Animal Health usually gives advice or warnings to farmers which, in most cases, results in satisfactory improvements being made. However, where necessary, Defra initiates prosecution action against farmers, sometimes in co-operation with local authorities and/or the RSPCA.

Europe

EU Directive 91/629/EC (as amended) lays down minimum standards for the welfare of calves across the EU, including a ban on the use of the close-confinement veal crate system. This directive is implemented into national legislation by way of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007.

The EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (SCAHAW) has produced an opinion on the Welfare of Cattle kept for Beef Production PDF document (770 KB).

The Council of Europe - which has a wider membership than the EU - also has recommended standards for cattle welfare.

EU Legislation

Advice for Farmers

Defra funds ADAS, an agricultural consultancy, to run campaigns to inform farmers about good welfare practices.

Details of Current Campaigns are available.

Publications

The following publications on cattle welfare are available in PDF format below.

 


Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs