State Government of Western Australia : Roundtable seeks consensus on poultry standards

• Ministerial roundtable on poultry welfare brings together representatives from poultry industries and animal welfare groups to seek consensus on animal welfare standards
• Roundtable to help shape WA Government's formal submission to the draft Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry

Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan will today bring together key poultry industry leaders and animal welfare groups to help guide the Western Australian Government's position on proposed national animal welfare standards for poultry.

The roundtable follows the McGowan Government's decision to dissent from draft Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry, which make little improvement to the welfare standards of egg-laying and meat chickens.

Representatives from the Commercial Egg Producers' Association WA, the WA Poultry Association, the WA Chicken Meat Council, the WA Broilers' Association, RSPCA and Animal Australia have been invited to put forward their position on the draft standards, with a focus on conditions for egg-laying chickens.

The draft national standards are currently open for public consultation, and the roundtable will help to shape the WA Government's formal submission to the draft standards.

Comments attributed to Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:

'Our Government wants to take a united WA position back to our State and Federal counterparts that will bring real improvements to the draft national standards on poultry.

'We want to see if we can reach a consensus that balances modern science on animal welfare, consumer expectations and industry needs.

'Today's roundtable is an opportunity for WA's poultry industries to be on the front foot in guiding modern animal welfare standards for the State and the nation.'

Minister's office - 6552 6200