The Independent Poultry Welfare Panel commissioned by all Australian agriculture ministers in 2019 has completed its work on developing new Australian animal welfare standards and guidelines for poultry.
This follows an extensive process of stakeholder consultation, and the consideration of contemporary animal welfare science and community expectations, according to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
The commonwealth and states and territories have worked together to agree to release the poultry standards, with each state and territory considering implementation options during 2022, with further discussions by all ministers in early 2023.
The poultry standards are one of a suite of Australian welfare standards and guidelines that aim to harmonise national animal welfare legislation, providing clarity and consistency to industry, consumers and trading partners.
Standards are the welfare requirements that will be put into effect in state and territory legislation and must be met under law for farm animal welfare purposes.
Guidelines are voluntary and are recommended practices to achieve desirable animal welfare outcomes, according to the DAFF.
Most significant animal welfare changes
The most significant improvements to poultry welfare in the standards and guidelines made by the independent panel include:
- A phase-out of conventional layer hen ‘cages’ over 10-15 years (at the latest by 2036), depending on the age of current infrastructure;
- A requirement to provide environmental enrichment for meat chicken breeders;
- Changes to the minimum light intensity and required periods of darkness, ventilation, and temperature parameters for all species;
- A requirement to provide breeder ducks with access to bathing/dunking water.
The standards apply to all those responsible for the care and management of poultry, including commercial producers and free-range, backyard poultry owners and poultry fanciers.
They exclude the transport and slaughter of poultry which are covered under separate standards and guidelines in Australia.
