Welfare of laying hens and pullets: guidance

Annex 2: Permitted procedures

The mutilation of hens is banned under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 unless the procedure is an exempt procedure. The Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions) (Scotland) Regulations 2010 (as amended) exempt certain procedures from this ban, provided that they are carried out:

• for a purpose which is specified, in relation to any such procedure, in column 2 of the corresponding entry in the relevant schedule;
• in accordance with the relevant requirements in the Schedules;
• in such a way as to minimise the pain and suffering it causes to the animal;
• in hygienic conditions; and
• in accordance with good practice.

The following is an extract from the Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions) (Scotland) Regulations 2010, setting out the permitted procedures for laying hens. The lists are correct at the point of publication.

Procedure: Micro-chipping

Purpose: Identification

Procedure: Beak trimming

Conditions:

1) Beak trimming of poultry may only be performed to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism and, in relation to laying hens kept on holdings of 350 or more and meat chickens kept on holdings of 500 or more, when the animals are less than 10 days old.

2) Beak trimming of laying hens kept on holdings of 350 or more may only be performed using the infra-red procedure.

3) In an emergency, to control an outbreak of feather pecking or cannibalism in laying hens, conditions 1 and 2 do not apply.

Purpose: Flock welfare

Procedure: Laparoscopy

Purpose: General animal management

Procedure: Wing tagging

Purpose: Identification, in connection with breeding or testing for the presence of disease.

Procedure: Web tagging

Purpose: Identification, in connection with breeding or testing for the presence of disease.