The requirement to keep poultry indoors, or completely enclosed in netting, was introduced to reduce the risk that they would catch avian flu from wild birds. With the majority of migratory birds now gone from the UK, the scientific advice is that the risk has lessened, although biosecurity measures and a ban on poultry gatherings remain in force. Read Defra's full advice here.
The ban meant that poultry meat could not be marketed as free range, and eggs from 'free range' sources had to carry stickers advising consumers that the birds had in fact been kept indoors. According to a report in Foodmanufacture (here), the ban cost the poultry meat sector £100m, even though free-range accounts for just 3.5% of birds raised in the UK.
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Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
