Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 1099: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he considers it acceptable that mortality figures for broilers that is birds that die before reaching the slaughterhouse are not kept by his Department, in view of the fact that high mortality rates would be an indication of poor welfare practices within certain sectors of the industry; if he will consider putting in place a monitoring system that will provide detailed figures on the numbers of birds arriving at the slaughterhouse with bone fractures, in view of the fact that an important animal welfare issue. [18398/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Birds which are presented for slaughter in establishments which operate under the supervision of my Department are subjected to ante-mortem examination by an official veterinarian, as required by Regulation (EC) No. 854 of 2004. Detailed instructions and guidelines for ante-mortem inspection include taking note of the numbers of birds which are dead on arrival and evidence of dirty birds as well as other factors which may suggest a welfare problem at the farm. Where there is evidence to suggest that there may be an on-farm welfare issue, procedures are in place to communicate this evidence, not just to the farmer, but also to the District Veterinary Office (DVO) for the county in which the farm of origin is situated, which can then investigate at farm level.

Evidence of broken bones is usually detected at post-mortem inspection and is usually a sign of improper handling during the catching of the birds. Again this is communicated to the relevant DVO and investigated as appropriate. Each slaughter establishment keeps mortality figures for consignments delivered and is required to make these available to the official veterinarian. The information available to the Department indicates that in 2011 the number of broilers which were dead on arrival at slaughterhouses represented approximately 0.18% of the total slaughtered. In the same year, ante-mortem injuries accounted for 0.02% of the number slaughtered.