RSPCA Assured says it is in 'listening mode' with the egg sector following concerns over new standards for its laying hen scheme, published without widespread industry consultation.
Members of the RSPCA Assured scheme have been informed on a new set of standards which require egg producers to ensure the provision of natural daylight for birds and the addition of verandas on poultry sheds.
The new requirements are required to be implemented across various timeframes, dependent on if farmers are an existing or future scheme member, and whether they are a barn or free range producer.
Responding, the NFU said they should have been developed in collaboration with the wider industry, with producers at the centre of the development phase.
The new standards also "lack evidence of a clear cost-benefit analysis and transparent justifications based on relevant scientific evidence".
Other areas that the NFU has identified that require further discussion include practicality, benefit to bird welfare, cost and proposed timeframe limitations.
The union has held meetings with senior representatives from RSPCA and RSPCA Assured to express the concerns.
In response, the RSPCA and RSPCA Assured said they were in 'listening mode' and are taking on the points raised at the meetings.
Voicing his concerns, NFU Poultry Board chair James Mottershead said that a lack of consultation at industry level could lead to “impractical standards” being imposed upon farm businesses.
He said: “It’s crucial that RSPCA Assured brings the poultry sector together, including producers, to discuss a way forward, because new standards are no use whatsoever if producers can’t afford to deliver them.”
It comes after the NFU has appointed consultants Campbell Tickell to complete its review into the governance of Red Tractor following the row over the Greener Farms Commitment standard.
