Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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760. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the Government’s plans in relation to chicken welfare; if his Department has a specific roadmap for aligning with European Food Safety Agency’s proposed poultry welfare standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52122/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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There is detailed European Union and Irish legislation in place on the protection of broiler chickens which sets out specific requirements that must be met by anyone keeping commercial broiler flocks. Trained Veterinary Inspectors from my Department carry out risk-based inspections of a selection of flocks each year to check compliance with these requirements. The inspections are carried out in line with detailed, recently reviewed Standard Operating Procedures, using species-specific checklists. Where a non-compliance with the legislation is found, these are acted upon to ensure they are addressed.

Under the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Commission committed to revising all of the EU animal welfare legislation including the broiler welfare legislation. The most recent European Food Safety (EFSA) opinions on animal welfare, including the 2023 opinion on broiler welfare will feed into this review. I am supportive of this review provided any new legislative proposals are practical, grounded in science and include reasonable supports and transition periods for farmers. We await those proposals from the Commission and will, when finalised, align our policy on broiler welfare as appropriate.