Document type: Answer to Question E-003741/2023 from the European Commission
Authors: question: Annika Bruna (ID). Answer: Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
Question: If poultry welfare is to be improved, advancements must be made with in-ovo sexing, debeaking must be eradicated, space and brightness increased, and access to outside space and nutrition improved.
The environment birds are kept in also needs to be improved to make it possible for them to behave naturally – exploring, scratching and biting – by installing perches, straw bales and pecking blocks.
All these efforts require major investment for our poultry farmers, who do not receive enough national or EU aid.
In the absence of mirror clauses to impose the same production conditions, imports of Ukrainian and Brazilian poultry products are increasing, to the detriment of:
- our farmers (in France, 52% of chicken is imported);
- animal welfare (cages, higher stocking density, poor transport conditions);
- the environment (carbon balance, manure, deforestation);
- consumer health (owing to the use of growth stimulant, such as flavomycin).
In the context of its revision of Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, will the Commission:
1. introduce mirror clauses for imported poultry products?
2. suspend those imports as a matter of urgency if the conditions for European poultry sectors deteriorate further?
Answer: In 2023 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published scientific opinions on the welfare of poultry[1] as part of the revision of the existing EU animal welfare legislation[2].
The Commission is considering EFSA’s recommendations and the socioeconomic impact of envisaged measures in the ongoing preparatory work.
No date of adoption has been decided. One of the policy options in the impact assessment[3] is to introduce equivalent measures for imported products, as the phasing out of cages, in compliance with EU international obligations.
In addition to the application of tariff preferences on imports of some poultry products subject to compliance with relevant EU animal welfare requirements[4], the draft Mercosur agreement contains bilateral safeguard clauses specifically for agriculture products, including products under tariff rate quotas such as poultry.
Under the draft Regulation that would extend beyond 5 June 2024 Autonomous Trade Measures[5] (ATMs) granted to Ukraine, the expedited safeguard measure would be activated in case of adverse effect on the Union market or on the market of one or more Member States and an automatic safeguard for poultry would cap the level of imports.
Ukraine is making important progress in aligning to EU legislation according to the Sanitary/Phytosanitary roadmap following the implementation of the commitments under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). For example, Ukraine is on track to align to EU animal welfare standards by 1 January 2026.
Besides bilateral agreements in place, in situations where an increase of imports causes or threatens to cause serious injury to domestic producers, safeguard measures may be introduced in line with the relevant EU and World Trade Organisation rules.
[1]Broilers: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7788; laying hens: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7789; ducks, geese and quails: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7992
[2] Anticipated in the Farm to Fork Strategy: https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-05/f2f_action-plan_2020_strategy-info_en.pdf
[3]https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/download/f9fcb5fd-0495-47c0-aba9-4b3630a61b52_en?filename=aw_eval_revision_iia_food-labelling.pdf
[4]Council Directive No 1999/74/EC of 19 July 1999 laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens (OJ L 203, 3.8.1999, p. 53).
[5] Regulation (EU) 2023/1077 on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products under the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part (OJ L 144, 5.6.2023, p. 1).
