Any future change in policy would be implemented on a UK-wide basis.
Routine castration and tail docking is carried out within the sheep sector for range of reasons; to ease management, prevent unwanted pregnancies and fly strike, a significant welfare issue. Defra, however, believes these procedures should be reduced.
NFU response
The NFU has submitted its response to the government's consultation. The response included data from more than 670 NFU members who submitted their feedback via the NFU's replica survey, hosted on NFUonline.
The NFU also heard the concerns of livestock keepers at several national and regional member engagement webinars. Many keepers also responded directly to the consultation via Citizen Space.
‘Significant concern’
NFU Livestock Board Chair David Barton said: “We fully support the aim of ensuring high standards of animal welfare. But these proposed policy changes, while well meaning, will have ramifications for the whole supply chain.
“Confidence within the livestock sector would drain away, market barriers would be created, and our global trade competitiveness would be seriously undermined.
“In our response, we set out clearly why practices like castration and tail docking are carried out within the sheep sector for a range of reasons; to ease management, prevent unwanted pregnancies and fly strike, a significant welfare issue, and ensure a consistent lamb trade for domestic and global markets.
“Across our membership, we had more than 670 responses to this consultation. There is significant concern that the suggested alternative methods will not be proven to be safe by the 2028 implementation date, or that there will be suitable and authorised pain relief products for lambs available on the market.
“If these measures are pushed through, UK lamb will be less competitive compared with the thousands of tonnes of imported lamb, potentially produced to lower animal welfare standards, each year. It would also contradict the government’s stated ambitions of growth and increased profitability in the food and farming industry.”
Read our executive summary outlining the NFU's response to the consultation.