{"id":246,"date":"2015-11-18T06:05:06","date_gmt":"2015-11-18T06:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henhub.eu\/eol\/?p=246"},"modified":"2017-02-02T13:19:03","modified_gmt":"2017-02-02T13:19:03","slug":"feed-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henhub.eu\/eol\/feed-withdrawal\/","title":{"rendered":"5.1 Feed withdrawal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regulations on feed withdrawal prior to transport and slaughter of end-of-lay hens<\/strong><\/p>\n

An inventory of available (mainly EU) regulations on feed withdrawal prior to transport and slaughter of laying hens indicated that no legal requirements appear to exist as to how long layers may be deprived of food prior to slaughter.<\/p>\n

However, for broilers EC Directive 2007\/43\/EC prescribes that chickens kept for meat production should not be deprived of food for more than 12 hours before the expected time of slaughter.<\/p>\n

Feed withdrawal in practice<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Netherlands, Nepluvi, the Dutch Poultry Processing Industry Association, recommends a withdrawal period of a maximum of 24 hours (Welfare Code for Poultry Slaughter Plants<\/a>, Art. 6 Vo 1099\/2009). These are recommendations for good management practice to fulfil the requirements of Article 13 of EC Directive 1099_2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing.<\/p>\n

Codes of Practice in England<\/a>, Wales<\/a>, Scotland<\/a> and Northern Ireland<\/a> recommend that \u2018feed, but not water, may be withheld for up to 12 hours prior to slaughter\u2019 including \u2018the catching, loading, transport, lairaging and unloading time\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Animal Welfare Approved label<\/a> in the US requires that end-of-lay laying hens should not be deprived of food for more than 8 hours unless birds are crated overnight and go directly to slaughter in the morning, in which case feed withdrawal may exceed eight hours (Art. 13.4.5).<\/p>\n

In the UK, the RSPCA Welfare Standards for Laying Hens (applied through the RSPCA Assured scheme), limit feed withdrawal periods to a maximum of 12 hours prior to slaughter.<\/p>\n

Summary of EC regulations<\/strong> :<\/p>\n