Tail-docking will come under scrutiny in Brussels this week.

"It has altered significantly since the start of the process when straw was upheld as the one and only ideal — which means the Commission has listened," says NPA's Lizzie Press in this week's issue of NPA Producer Brief.

"But there is still more work to do before it is acceptable to producers. This is why it's so important for NPA, ably supported by the NFU's British Agriculture Bureau, to be involved right from the beginning, to ensure a balanced outcome for industry, particularly as although the documents are for guidance only, they will inevitably provide a lead for regulators.

"This is even more likely given they are described as representing the European Commission's interpretation of legal minimum requirements."