Laying Hen Welfare Forum Terms of Reference

The Laying Hen Welfare Forum consists of the following Management Group:

1. Establish economically positive ways of continuing improvement in laying hen and pullet welfare.

2. Prioritise animal welfare issues affecting laying hens and pullets.

3. Prioritise research and development needs for pullets and laying hens.

4. Establish, monitor and report annually on animal welfare indicators.

5. Promote knowledge transfer to the wider egg industry, including the domestic poultry keeping sector, and endeavour to encourage adoption of best practice by all.

6. Advise on training requirements for the industry.

7. Act as a liaison body for pullets and laying hens with the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock.

8. Liaise with the Poultry Health and Welfare Group.

9. Seek to establish links with any comparable bodies in the EU or third countries.

10. Create a LHWF website to help promote the aims of the LHWF, to assist in knowledge transfer and use the website as a vehicle for reporting on animal welfare indicators.

11. All parties on the steering group to agree the content of any communications from the LHWF.

12. Support Defra and the devolved administrations in dealing with notifiable diseases.

13. Create specialist sub-groups for specific welfare topics, set their terms of reference and propose their membership.

14. Make recommendations to appropriate bodies to improve laying hen and pullet welfare.