New Clause 15 - Welfare of gamebird laying stock
Animal Welfare Bill
3:30 pm
‘(1)The person responsible for an animal to which this section applies commits an offence if the animal is kept otherwise than in accordance with this section.
(2)An enclosure in which any pheasant is kept for the purpose of producing eggs must be of a kind which provides a minimum of one square metre of floor surface area per bird.
(3)Pheasants shall only be kept in a laying pen described in subsection (2) for up to a maximum of six months in any one year.
(4)After the laying period, pheasants which are not released into the wild must be moved to a separate enclosure which provides a minimum floor surface area of two square metres per bird.
(5)An enclosure in which any partridge is kept for the purpose of producing eggs must—
(a)be of a kind traditionally used for the keeping of partridges (commonly known as a partridge box), and
(b)provide a floor surface area of no less than 0.55 square metres per bird.
(6)Partridges shall only be kept in a box as described in subsection (5) for a maximum of six months in any one year.
(7)After the laying period, partridges which are not released into the wild must be moved to a separate enclosure which provides a minimum floor surface area of one square metre per bird.’.—[Paddy Tipping.]