HATCHERY ▶▶▶
Early feeding to become mandatory
Within the next five years broiler hatcheries in the Netherlands will have to implement some form of early feeding in the hatchery. This may be concluded from a recent ruling by a Dutch regulatory body. The ruling states that freshly hatched birds must have access to feed and water within 36 hours of the first birds hatching.
Early feeding of freshly hatched chicks has per- formance and health advan- tages later in production.
T BY KIRSTEN GRAUMANS
he case was brought in 2013 by the animal welfare organisation Wakker Dier and applied to two specif- ic hatcheries named in the case. They were made subject to a fine if they failed to comply within five
years. However, in its ruling the regulatory body decided
that the five-year period should apply not only to the two hatcheries concerned but also the entire Dutch broiler sec- tor. Until the current ruling, hatcheries were permitted a 60- hour period before chicks should have access to feed and water. In practice this meant that chicks would only be pro- vided with feed and water after arriving on the broiler farm. Wakker Dier however argued that this is contrary to the De- cree on the welfare of production animals and the Health and Welfare of Animals Act.
Enforcement Welfare organisation Wakker Dier asked the Dutch food in- spection authority NVWA to enforce this new rule immedi- ately. Initially that was refused but after years of legal wran- gling, further to a study by Wageningen University, in 2018 the regulatory body established that chicks should have feed and water within 36 hours at the latest. This initial ruling laid the basis for the current ruling. As not all hatcheries have the facilities to provide feed and water in the hatcher - dedicated equipment only came onto the market in 2014 and procure- ment takes time - a five year transition period was granted. That said, recent developments in farm hatching have re- duced the need for hatchery equipment to be replaced completely. In on-farm hatching systems hatching eggs are transferred from the hatchery to the farm on day 18 and hatch in the broiler house over the next few days. There they have immediate access to feed and water.
Layer hatcheries exempt The Dutch authorities did state that they will not be enforc- ing the 36-hour rule in layer hatcheries. Inspection agency NVWA sees no scientific grounds that deem it necessary to look at early feeding of layers, especially as the regulatory body only based its current ruling on Wageningen research done in broilers specifically. Animal welfare organisation Wakker Dier is continuing its le- gal battle against intensive animal farming and is already taking steps to appeal against the current decision. In its view hatchery upgrades could be done far sooner than with- in the five years stipulated by the court and - on top of that - it will again be asking for the ruling to be extended to layer hatcheries as well.
30 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 9, 2019
PHOTO: MICHEL VELDERMAN
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