Document type: article published by ESA (EFTA watchdog)
Author: Jarle Hetland
Preview: In January this year, ESA conducted a follow-up audit on poultry welfare in Norway. Previous audits in 2009, 2012 and 2022 found serious non-compliances with animal welfare rules on poultry farms, concerning both laying hens and broiler chickens. The follow-up audit's objective was to assess the implementation of actions proposed by Norway in response to the recommendations included in ESA's 2022 audit. ESA concluded in 2022 that Norway's lack of commitment to act on recommendations from past audits, had resulted in serious breaches of animal welfare rules at laying hen farms. The official controls were weak also for broilers as the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) did not verify the usable area to prevent overcrowding of chickens. ESA issued five recommendations to Norway to address non-compliances detected during the 2022 audit. During the follow-up audit in January 2025, ESA noted some progress in the laying-hen sector. However, the NFSA still did not carry out official controls to ensure the welfare of broiler chickens. ESA found that corrective actions to improve welfare for laying hens had been initiated. However, most of the actions still need to be incorporated into inspectors' regular fieldwork to ensure better bird welfare, including proper enforcement when non-compliance is detected. The NFSA's annual control plans in 2023 and 2024 did not include any broiler farm inspections. As a result, no official controls on broiler farms were carried out those years. The lack of official controls can lead to persistent overcrowding for extended periods, causing unnecessary distress to the animals. In response to ESA's draft report, Norway has provided additional information to their action plan to address all the recommendations. This plan is attached to the report.
