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News & Reports
News & Reports animal welfare
FAWC calls for tighter regulation of fish farming ‘UK governments should extend the requirements for terrestrial species in the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations to farmed fish (as appropriate and with suitable modifications) so that there is a clear legal basis for enforcement of basic requirements in all farmed fish species.’ This is one of the recommendations made by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) in an opinion on the welfare of farmed fish. The FAWC is an expert committee of Defra which advises governments in England, Scotland and Wales on farm animal welfare issues. Its opinion, which was published last week, deals specifically with the rearing of fin-fish such as salmon and trout; welfare at killing and during related operations are to be considered in separate opinion from the FAWC later this year. Fish farming is the largest livestock sector in Great Britain after broiler production. In its report, the FAWC suggests that much has improved in the industry over the past 20 years but that a number of challenges remain. According to its chairman, Peter Jinman, ‘While the protection of fish remains challenging, FAWC recognises that the aquaculture industry and others have addressed this subject seriously since the FAWC’s last report on this issue in 1996 and have made many improvements to the welfare of farmed fish.’ However, he says, ‘Increases in the number of fish being produced will increase the number of challenges to be addressed.’ The report focuses on what the FAWC sees as the priority welfare issues in fish farming, which include achieving a better understanding of what good fish welfare entails. According to Mr Jinman, ‘The fundamental differences between fish and terrestrial farm animals have strong implications for consideration of farm systems and fish welfare. There is a lack of data on what good welfare is.’ The report makes a number of recommendations for research to improve knowledge in this area. As far as regulation is concerned, the report notes that fish are not currently afforded the same regulatory protection as other farmed species, despite having
welfare needs. For this and other reasons, it recommends that, in addition to the duty of care required under the Animal Welfare Acts and the production standards applied by the industry and others, the Welfare of Animals Regulations, suitably modified, should be applied to farmed fish. This would introduce legal requirements for the management of fish farming enterprises, covering matters such as staff competence, record keeping, inspection frequencies, construction of facilities, and arrangements for the testing and maintenance of equipment. At this stage, the FAWC does not call for a statutory welfare code for fish, as exists for other farmed species. However, it says, existing industry codes and standards, which include many examples of good practice, ‘can always be improved’. It calls on governments to review compliance with and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Acts by the AHVLA and local authorities, including whether inspectors are suitably trained and whether random inspections of farms, as occur for terrestrial species, should be introduced. If compliance and enforcement are found to be inadequate, it may be necessary to strengthen the legislative framework with more detailed requirements, it says. Highlighting concerns about medicines availability, the FAWC also calls on governments to review or commission a review on the availability of medicines to treat diseases and parasites of farmed fish, as well as of the availability of veterinarians experienced in fish health, suggesting that the
Fish Veterinary Society could assist in this. At the same time, it points out, medicines should not be a substitute for good husbandry. Although fish farming involves dealing with large populations, the FAWC believes that more consideration should be given to the welfare of individual fish. Noting that water quality is crucial to fish health and welfare, it recommends that the industry should develop systematic approaches to monitoring environmental parameters and welfare outcomes, and to responding to problems. Discussing some of the ethical issues associated with fish farming, the FAWC suggests that, compared with farmed mammals, fish may have been denied full ethical consideration because of a lack of empathy resulting from their greater biological and habitat differences from humans. Nevertheless, it says it supports the increasing scientific consensus that fish experience pain, and recommends that deliberations on management and other processes should be made on that basis. With this in mind, and given the dearth of data on fish welfare, it says that ‘industry, research organisations and governments should collaborate in advancing research on fish welfare comparable to that on other farmed species.’ n Opinion the Welfare of Farmed Fish. Farm Animal Welfare Committee, February 2014. www.defra.gov.uk/fawc/files/ Opinion-on-the-welfare-of-farmed-fish.pdf Accessed February 19, 2014 doi: 10.1136/vr.g1665
February 22, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 181
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FAWC calls for tighter regulation of fish farming Veterinary Record 2014 174: 181
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News & Reports
News & Reports animal welfare
FAWC calls for tighter regulation of fish farming ‘UK governments should extend the requirements for terrestrial species in the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations to farmed fish (as appropriate and with suitable modifications) so that there is a clear legal basis for enforcement of basic requirements in all farmed fish species.’ This is one of the recommendations made by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) in an opinion on the welfare of farmed fish. The FAWC is an expert committee of Defra which advises governments in England, Scotland and Wales on farm animal welfare issues. Its opinion, which was published last week, deals specifically with the rearing of fin-fish such as salmon and trout; welfare at killing and during related operations are to be considered in separate opinion from the FAWC later this year. Fish farming is the largest livestock sector in Great Britain after broiler production. In its report, the FAWC suggests that much has improved in the industry over the past 20 years but that a number of challenges remain. According to its chairman, Peter Jinman, ‘While the protection of fish remains challenging, FAWC recognises that the aquaculture industry and others have addressed this subject seriously since the FAWC’s last report on this issue in 1996 and have made many improvements to the welfare of farmed fish.’ However, he says, ‘Increases in the number of fish being produced will increase the number of challenges to be addressed.’ The report focuses on what the FAWC sees as the priority welfare issues in fish farming, which include achieving a better understanding of what good fish welfare entails. According to Mr Jinman, ‘The fundamental differences between fish and terrestrial farm animals have strong implications for consideration of farm systems and fish welfare. There is a lack of data on what good welfare is.’ The report makes a number of recommendations for research to improve knowledge in this area. As far as regulation is concerned, the report notes that fish are not currently afforded the same regulatory protection as other farmed species, despite having
welfare needs. For this and other reasons, it recommends that, in addition to the duty of care required under the Animal Welfare Acts and the production standards applied by the industry and others, the Welfare of Animals Regulations, suitably modified, should be applied to farmed fish. This would introduce legal requirements for the management of fish farming enterprises, covering matters such as staff competence, record keeping, inspection frequencies, construction of facilities, and arrangements for the testing and maintenance of equipment. At this stage, the FAWC does not call for a statutory welfare code for fish, as exists for other farmed species. However, it says, existing industry codes and standards, which include many examples of good practice, ‘can always be improved’. It calls on governments to review compliance with and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Acts by the AHVLA and local authorities, including whether inspectors are suitably trained and whether random inspections of farms, as occur for terrestrial species, should be introduced. If compliance and enforcement are found to be inadequate, it may be necessary to strengthen the legislative framework with more detailed requirements, it says. Highlighting concerns about medicines availability, the FAWC also calls on governments to review or commission a review on the availability of medicines to treat diseases and parasites of farmed fish, as well as of the availability of veterinarians experienced in fish health, suggesting that the
Fish Veterinary Society could assist in this. At the same time, it points out, medicines should not be a substitute for good husbandry. Although fish farming involves dealing with large populations, the FAWC believes that more consideration should be given to the welfare of individual fish. Noting that water quality is crucial to fish health and welfare, it recommends that the industry should develop systematic approaches to monitoring environmental parameters and welfare outcomes, and to responding to problems. Discussing some of the ethical issues associated with fish farming, the FAWC suggests that, compared with farmed mammals, fish may have been denied full ethical consideration because of a lack of empathy resulting from their greater biological and habitat differences from humans. Nevertheless, it says it supports the increasing scientific consensus that fish experience pain, and recommends that deliberations on management and other processes should be made on that basis. With this in mind, and given the dearth of data on fish welfare, it says that ‘industry, research organisations and governments should collaborate in advancing research on fish welfare comparable to that on other farmed species.’ n Opinion the Welfare of Farmed Fish. Farm Animal Welfare Committee, February 2014. www.defra.gov.uk/fawc/files/ Opinion-on-the-welfare-of-farmed-fish.pdf Accessed February 19, 2014 doi: 10.1136/vr.g1665
February 22, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 181
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 30, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
FAWC calls for tighter regulation of fish farming Veterinary Record 2014 174: 181
doi: 10.1136/vr.g1665 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/8/181.1
These include:
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Notes
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