The Welfare of Animals (Permitted Procedures by Lay Persons) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012

Regulations 2 and 3(a)

SCHEDULE 7 BIRDS

PART I Part I of this Schedule specifies permitted procedures which may be performed by a lay person in relation to birds

Identification procedures

1.—(1) Microchipping;

(2) Neck tagging;

(3) Web notching;

(4) Web tagging;

(5) Wing tagging;

(6) Other methods of identification involving a prohibited procedure required by law and not restricted to being undertaken by a veterinary surgeon.

Procedures for the control of reproduction

2.—(1) Castration;

(2) Implantation of a subcutaneous contraceptive.

Other management procedures

3.—(1) Beak trimming of poultry;

(2) Desnooding;

(3) De-toeing of domestic fowl and turkeys;

(4) Dubbing;

(5) Removal of the dependent portion of its wattles;

(6) Wing pinioning for non farmed poultry.

PART II Part II specifies any additional conditions for a procedure

4.—(1) With the exception of beak trimming (where paragraph 11 applies), no procedure listed in Part I of this Schedule may be performed on—

(a) conventionally reared meat chickens; or

(b) a laying hen or a chick that is intended to become a laying hen which is kept on an establishment with 350 or more such birds.

Neck tagging

5.  The procedure shall only be carried out on farmed ducks and only where performed within 36 hours of hatching for the purposes of a breed improvement programme.

Web notching

6.  The procedure shall only be carried out on farmed ducks and only where performed within 36 hours of hatching for the purposes of a breed improvement programme.

Web tagging

7.—(1) The procedure shall only be carried out on farmed birds for the purposes of breed improvement programmes or testing for the presence of disease.

(2) The procedure shall only be carried out on birds other than farmed birds for conservation purposes (including education and captive breeding programmes) or for research.

Wing tagging

8.—(1) The procedure shall only be carried out on farmed birds for the purposes of breed improvement programmes or testing for the presence of disease.

(2) The procedure shall only be carried out on birds other than farmed birds for conservation purposes (including education and captive breeding programmes) or for research.

Castration

9.—(1) The procedure may not be carried out on farmed birds.

(2) The procedure shall only be carried out as part of a conservation breeding programme.

(3) An anaesthetic shall be administered.

(4) The procedure must not involve surgery.

Implantation of a subcutaneous contraceptive

10.—(1) The procedure may not be carried out on farmed birds.

(2) The procedure shall only be carried out as part of a conservation breeding programme.

Beak trimming of poultry

11.—(1) For all poultry the beak trimming procedure shall be performed using a suitable instrument.

(2) For all poultry any subsequent haemorrhage from the beak shall be arrested by cauterisation.

(3) For all poultry the procedure shall be performed on—

(a) both the lower and upper beaks, with not more than one third of each removed; or

(b) the upper beak only, with not more than one third removed.

(4) For laying hens and chicks that are intended to become laying hens, which are kept on establishments with 350 or more such birds, beak trimming—

(a) shall only be performed in order to prevent feather pecking or cannibalism;

(b) shall only be carried out using infra-red technology;

(c) shall not be performed on birds which are aged 10 days or over; and

(d) shall be carried out by a person who has been provided with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training so that they are qualified to perform the procedure.

(5) Sub-paragraphs (4)(b) and (c) do not apply where the procedure is carried out in an emergency in order to control an outbreak of feather pecking or cannibalism.

(6) For conventionally reared meat chickens the procedure—

(a) shall only be performed in order to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism;

(b) shall not be performed on birds which are aged 10 days or over;

(c) shall be carried out by a person who has been provided with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training so that they are qualified to perform the procedure; and

(d) shall only be carried out following a consultation and on the advice of a veterinarian.

(7) In this part “infra-red procedure” means an automated procedure involving exposure of the tip of the beak of a chick to a focused high intensity infra-red beam designed to cause a limited area of tissue damage and subsequent loss of the beak tip.

Desnooding

12.—(1) Where the turkey is aged not more than 21 days, the procedure may be carried out either by manual pinching-out or with a suitable instrument.

(2) The procedure may not be carried out on a bird that is aged 21 days or over.

De-toeing of domestic fowl and turkeys

13.  The procedure may not be carried out on a bird that is aged 72 hours or over.

Dubbing

14.—(1) Dubbing shall be performed using a suitable instrument.

(2) The procedure may not be carried out on a bird that is aged 72 hours or over.

Removal of the dependent portion of its wattles

15.—(1) The removal of the dependent portion of its wattles shall be performed using a suitable instrument.

(2) The procedure may not be carried out on a bird that is aged 72 hours or over.

Wing pinioning

16.—(1) The procedure may not be carried out on farmed birds.

(2) An anaesthetic shall be administered where the bird is aged 10 days or over.