Raised Laying Units: NGO Policy
March 2005
The following NGO policy on raised laying units/cages was arrived at after discussion in the National Committee in December 2004 and circulation to all NGO Regional Chairman, on 25 January 2005, of a paper requesting feedback. The draft NGO policy was then circulated, during February, to all Regional Chairman for comment, before appearing as the formal NGO position in the NGO Magazine (March 2005) and in the sporting press.
The NGO's Position
The NGO believes that gamekeepers and shoots should be left to reach their own decisions on how they run their game management and shooting, but that all resultant activities must be within the law and the Code of Good Shooting Practice.
On the question of choice of laying system, the NGO believes that the welfare of the birds is the most important consideration. Good welfare can be achieved within a whole range of systems, just as any system can cause problems if it is badly managed.
Gamekeepers are therefore advised to base decision-making on the quality of the egg production set-up and the way it is run, rather than assuming that a particular type of system is either always right or always wrong. Such decisions are best made through first hand inspection of the systems under consideration.
The NGO urges members to be certain that any eggs or birds they use are being produced in accordance with the law and the Code of Good Shooting Practice. The Code requires that, "Game husbandry must be conducted with all due consideration for the health and welfare of the birds concerned." At present it contains no specific requirements concerning the choice of laying system. Were that to change, through the agreement of all the shooting and countryside bodies which are signed up to the Code, then the NGO would of course review this advice.