Document type: report DG(HEALTH) 2022-7609 of the DG HEALTH of the European Commission
Author: DG SANTE
Preview: This report presents the outcome of a project of the European Commission's Directorate- General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) conducted in 2021 to assess the official controls on the protection of the welfare of laying hens at all the stages of production in the European Union.
EU legislation sets specific rules to protect the welfare of laying hens after they start egg production.
Member States carry out official controls, which generally ensure the correct implementation of those EU requirements. The current main non-compliance in this area is the overstocking.
Although younger hens (pullets and chicks) are not included in those specific requirements, the general EU rules on protection of animals kept for farming purposes are applicable to protect their well-being. The project found that official controls on farms keeping pullets and hatcheries are far less frequent and consistent than those for laying hen farms. In many cases, Member State authorities do not check animal welfare properly or at all in these establishments.
The report identifies areas where national authorities have opportunities to improve. The report also highlights certain practices in Member States that can be considered as good practices, as they contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the official controls.
The project concluded that some EU requirements are open to legal interpretation and have been translated differently into national provisions by Member States. On the other hand, some Member States have added requirements in their territories that go beyond the EU ones. As a result, welfare protection for laying hens varies across the EU. Animals generally enjoy better conditions for their well-being where clearer or additional national provisions have been established. This potentially creates an uneven playing field for the EU producers.
The report proposes some actions which Member States' authorities could consider improving their official controls in this area.
