Disposal of spent hens: options evaluation

Abattoir Feedback

Introduction

53. A number of abattoirs and processing plants were contacted and consulted on their views. In addition, expert input was provided by the experienced sector practitioners supporting the research.

54. A small number of poultry processors in the UK that may manage spent hens, were identified. These include some of the larger broiler processors which may provide the service solely for their own operations, where they may be involved in egg production. The cost is challenging to those who are processing broilers, as processing spent hens impacts on efficiency and hence these will only be processed on an as needed basis, often at the end of the week on a Friday afternoon.

55. Currently there are three abattoirs in the UK that offer a specific service for spent hens, located in Bradford, Gainsborough and Norfolk. The abattoirs in Bradford and Gainsborough are currently, at time of writing, RSPCA approved.

Service provision

56. All of the specialist spent hen processors provide a catching and haulage service. A small payment is made to the farmers once the hens are collected and this varies depending on the distance from the abattoir. The journey times can range from 2 hours to around 12 hours. Processors noted that the length of time in travel is not the critical factor in terms of the condition of the birds on arrival. The greatest impact is having healthy quality stock before travel, which is more to do with infrastructure and good farming practice rather than subsequent transportation. Many other issues can be considered to improve transportation further such as stocking densities on board the lorries to keep the birds warmer or cooler depending on the temperatures and travelling through the night to speed up the journey times. Processors already implement these practices as a matter of course and are open to further innovation.

57. One processor noted that their best quality birds have often travelled the furthest distance because of the care taken in raising the birds over their lifetime. Equally important is the monitoring of DOA figures and anything over 0.5% is investigated and remedies are put in place as appropriate. In addition, it was generally felt that birds that have been transported under 3 hours can often be more agitated on arrival at the abattoir than those that have settled on the longer journeys.

Transportation time

58. The existing processors have invested millions of pounds in their sites in recent years, yet it remains a low margin operation. They fear that there would be a real risk of closure if the critical volume was not available, especially as a result of further restrictions placed on travel times. Having a broad range of farms and high volumes of birds to collect, also allows for more effective planning and efficiencies in logistics and frequent collections. Without this, birds could remain on farm for a commercially unviable length of time (beyond 76 to 80 weeks).

59. The general view of processors is that it would be impossible to comply with the RSPCA standard if there were any further reductions in transportation times, or loss of exceptions for those over the 8 hour limit. This would hit the North of Scotland and other areas in the UK, such as Southwest England, particularly hard. Without exceptions, it may threaten the future of the abattoirs. Retailers currently require RSPCA accreditation, but could create a significant problem in terms of UK supply, if limits were reduced. Processors and farmers have expressed a willingness to work together to address any concerns with the retailers and RSPCA.

Markets

60. Markets for spent hen products include export markets for brown meat: UK outlets for ingredients for soups and petfoods; and takeaway/foodservice (mostly low value). At least one of the processors provides a halal service to support UK ethnic markets.

Investment in Scotland

61. Generally, the processors would not consider investing in another abattoir for Scotland, given the volumes required and the impact that the drop in volumes would have on their existing heavily invested facilities. The view is that investment should be considered in improving on-farm infrastructure and exploring innovation in transportation.

62. The existing abattoirs also note that they need the Scottish supply to remain in business. It is a low margin operation driven by critical volume. They believe there is not enough volume in Scotland to sustain an abattoir in its own right. One site alone can process around 80,000 birds per day on average, which is the equivalent of Scotland’s weekly kill requirement of spent hens (approximately 80,000 birds per week).

Northern Ireland

63. According to sources at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Northern Ireland, most free range hens are exported across the border to the nearest slaughter site in Castleblaney (Ireland), an RSPCA approved site. Free range hens account for approximately 80% of Northern Ireland’s capacity. The remainder, which tend to be outside the RSPCA scheme, are transported to English abattoirs, via lorry and ferry.

Literature Review – the effect of transportation in poultry

64. A review of various scientific and other papers was undertaken to obtain a clearer understanding of the impact of the health and welfare of spent hens being transported for slaughter. This included the RSPCA Welfare Standards for Laying Hens.

RSPCA Standards regarding transportation

65. The RSPCA standards provide clear guidance across key areas of production.

66. For chicks, the standards identify the need to deliver chicks from the hatchery to the rearing unit within 24 hours. Chicks are normally delivered in vehicles specifically designed for this purpose.

67. For pullets (young birds up to the point of laying), the following criteria is outlined:

• The pullet producer must liaise with the haulier and hatchery to ensure that the timing of the placement is minimised

68. In terms of the RSPCA standards for laying hens sent to slaughter, the requirements include:

• A maximum 12 hour period when hens have no access to feed – at the end of life this would cover the time of when feeders are removed just prior to catching and transport, up to the point of slaughter
• A maximum 8 hour journey time – typically this starts when the last hen is loaded to the time of arrival at the final destination

69. The RSPCA standards for broilers differ from spent hens sent to slaughter, i.e.:

• A maximum 8 hour period from the point the first bird is loaded onto a module to the point of slaughter
• A maximum 4 hour period from the point when the birds leave the farm to arriving at the processing plant

70. In all cases, it is a legal requirement to ensure that journey times are kept to a minimum. Research has shown that the incidence of ascites (fluid accumulation in an abdominal cavity) in broilers was significantly greater when chicks were either transported 51 to 100 miles or 101 to 150 miles compared with less than 50 miles. A possible stress effect is therefore present when chicks are transported 51 to 150 miles.

71. The British Lion Egg code of practice makes no reference to transport time in their standards.

72. The Red Tractor standards for Poultry Catching and Transport states that the time between start of loading and end of unloading at the processing plant must not exceed twelve hours.

73. To provide an international comparison, standards for Bord Bia and the linked Origin Green standards states that the transport time (where applicable), must not exceed 8 hours.

Additional research

74. Animal welfare during transport is difficult to measure and interpret. However, pre-slaughter conditions affect poultry meat quality and yields, as well as elements like heat stress; stress while loading and unloading; crating; transport; and feed withdrawal. Direct measures such as bruise recording and the number of birds Dead on Arrival (DOA) are used to assess and measure bird welfare.

75. All the factors noted above can result in changes to a bird’s metabolism as a response to dealing with stress, but the nature of change will depend upon the severity of the stress and the bird’s tolerance. The final product will be a result of complex interactions between genotype and environment, not due to a single factor in isolation.

76. Research in poultry has investigated the impact of distance or seasonal weather on mortality during transport. However, most of the literature available on transport time and other pre-slaughter factors comes from broilers, where the effects of stress are measured by assessing meat quality and through the presence and levels of metabolites in blood (Detailed in Appendix 1) .

77. In summary, physical activities (catching, crating, etc.), lairage time, temperature and humidity exerted the most important effects in broiler meat. Other factors such as genotype, live weight and transport also have an impact.

78. Reports on the effect of transport in meat quality are sometimes contradictory, ranging from no differences to decreased muscle glycogen and increase pH levels. Undoubtedly, transport can alter both the metabolism and physiological state of the birds and this can impact on product quality for broiler meat.

79. The research, particularly for broilers, suggests that longer animal transport times can affect their welfare compared to shorter journeys. However, it is important to recognise it is not necessarily the duration per se, but the conditions of the birds and all of the associate factors above that may induce stress and other issues. It is also worth highlighting that broilers are raised in a different environment to laying hens, such as in heated housing and are more sensitive to change. The researchers could not find equivalent studies for spent hens; hence it would be unrealistic to draw direct comparisons. It suggests a need for research on the effect of pre-transport practices and transportation factors of spent hens.