Amendments were made to the UK’s welfare standards for laying hens

Unprecedented concerns from UK farmers over proposed changes to the RSPCA’s Welfare Standards for Laying hens have led to a further climbdown by the assurance scheme. Earlier this year, RSPCA Assured announced it would be pausing the implementation date of the new standards to allow it more time to provide tailored support for members. It has now said that the strength of feeling and feedback from farmers has led to a number of amendments and clarifications to the standards. Kelly Grellier, RSPCA Assured’s chief commercial officer, said the strength and scale of feeling and feedback on the original proposed standards had been unprecedented: “Our members are fundamental in helping us improve hen welfare and we have listened and taken action. We’ve made a number of amendments and clarifications to the standards. We hope these amendments will alleviate concerns and provide greater support to our members so they can achieve the new standards.” ALSO READ: Growing adoption of in-ovo ...