EU Exit: challenges and opportunities for animal welfare

Challenges

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (EU) creates complex opportunities and risks for farm animal welfare in Scotland, which will take time to become apparent. Welfare is affected by the rules and standards in law, which sets a minimum level, by enhanced standards set by assurance or retailer schemes, and through subsidy or other voluntary schemes to promote policy outcomes. Each of these requires some form of enforcement or inspection of both systems and animals. Where subsidies are used to promote welfare improvements, this assessment may also provide bench-marking data to assess success.

Another crucial driver of animal welfare is sustainability, especially the financial sustainability of a farming enterprise, which impacts its capacity to invest in improvements to productivity and welfare. In addition, the social sustainability of farming can play a role partly through the purchase of higher welfare products by consumers, but also through lobbying and other actions to bring about change. Finally, the environmental sustainability of high-welfare farming can both conflict with, and complement, animal welfare improvements, and impacts on the welfare of other policy drivers, such as food or land use, are relevant.

Trade deals and other regulations and friction may lead to changed market access for Scottish farmers abroad for export, or for overseas competitors importing here. This could mean reduced access to other markets in the EU if our animal welfare standards do not keep pace with developments there and could influence competitiveness if free-trade deals are made with countries that have poorer welfare standards. Input costs could be affected, and marketing opportunities through product differentiation. Changes to subsidy as the Common Agricultural Policy is replaced affect finances, influence management decisions which may inadvertently impact welfare, or directly incentivise welfare improvements. The EU Farm 2 Fork strategy has ambitious targets for changing agricultural practices, including animal welfare, and Scotland may make similar changes or address different welfare priorities. Welfare may also be affected, intentionally or inadvertently, by other drivers.

These issues affect all farmed species, with some also overlapping with other managed ones, and the potential issues are diverse and global. Innovations in, and standardisation of animal welfare assessment are also pertinent here. Addressing these requirements requires evidence gathering in support of policy, with policymakers as the key audience.

Questions

Solutions

This projects aims to:

• Evaluate differences in welfare standards between Scotland and potential trading partners.
• Provide evidence in support of maintaining or improving welfare standards
• Monitor emerging areas and recommend policy priorities for maintaining or improving welfare
• Evaluate, update and standardize welfare measurement methods

 

Evaluating the differences in welfare standards between Scotland and potential trading partners

We survey existing standards and rules which apply internationally and in different countries with which trade deals might be. We are focusing on the potential scale of import of cheap animal products which do not meet UK standards. This is helping to identify gaps and assess the welfare and sustainability impacts of different practices compared to UK standards. We are also evaluating the impact of new animal welfare developments on existing Scottish farm practices. We are engaging with UK and Scottish policy to identify potential areas of concern which may lead to trade barriers with the EU, and the welfare and sustainability impact of planned changes.

Farrowing crates are one of the few remaining ‘confinement’ housing systems in the UK, although gestation crates were phased out many years ago. The EU parliament passed legislation in support of the ‘end the cage age’ campaign with a potential ban by 2027 on all caged systems including farrowing crates, and New Zealand are planning to ban farrowing crates. We will summarise the policy environment, highlighting the main issues and consider the likely consequences for trade and for the pig industry of farrowing crate bans by Scottish Government, Defra, EU or New Zealand. The impact of importation of products from countries which currently permit restrictive sow housing throughout gestation will also be considered.

 

Providing evidence in support of maintaining or improving welfare standards.

This work is rooted in the aim of demonstrating that Scotland has some of the highest welfare standards in the world, and we should maintain and keep improving these. We are summarising the key welfare issues and explaining the value of maintaining animal welfare standards based on our previous research, and the scientific literature. We are monitoring emerging areas and recommend policy priorities for maintaining or improving welfare, such as positions on CAP replacement, market prices, and emerging threats.

 

Monitoring emerging areas and recommend policy priorities for maintaining or improving welfare

We are seeking out the latest intelligence on CAP replacement policy plans through:

• Monitoring evolving Scottish Government position on CAP replacement
• Engaging with researchers who are following and modelling these issues, monitor market prices published by AHDB and stay ahead of emerging threats and opportunities for animal welfare.
• Keeping abreast of food policy developments to prioritize areas. For example, a move towards consuming less meat of better quality is becoming apparent in some sectors.

In response to these information sources, we are developing a series of case studies relevant to changes in regulation affecting the welfare of farmed and companion animals. The case studies are considering the most important welfare issues, and the opportunities to enhance welfare, the likely cost of implementation, and suggest policy incentives that may drive these improvements. We are also considering any unintended consequences that may need to be mitigated in implementing welfare changes.

 

Evaluating, updating, and standardising welfare measurement methods

We assess current welfare measurement methods for their validity in assessing welfare relevant to Scottish production systems, and their feasibility for implementation. By engaging with international initiatives, we aim to harmonise and standardise welfare assessment methods to provide benchmarking and assurance approaches.