1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of19November1991
layingdownminimumstandardsfortheprotectionofpigs
(91/630/EEC)
(OJ L 340, 11.12.1991, p. 33)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Council Directive 2001/88/EC of 23 October 2001 L 316 1 1.12.2001
►M2Commission Directive 2001/93/EC of 9 November 2001 L 316 36 1.12.2001
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COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of19November1991
layingdownminimumstandardsfortheprotectionofpigs
(91/630/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee(3),
Whereas all Member States have ratified the European Convention on
the protection of animals kept for farming purposes; whereas theCommunity has also approved this Convention by Decision 78/923/
EEC(
4) and has deposited its instrument of approval;
Whereas the European Parliament, in its resolution of 20 February
1987 on animal welfare policy(5), called on the Commission to make
proposals on minimum standards for the intensive farming of pigs;
Whereas pigs, being live animals, are included in the list of products
set out in Annex II of the Treaty;
Whereas the keeping of pigs is an integral part of agriculture; whereas
it constitutes a source of revenue for part of the agricultural population;
Whereas differences which may distort conditions of competition inter-
fere with the smooth running of the organization of the common
market in pigs and pig products;
Whereas there is therefore a need to establish common minimum stan-
dards for the protection of pigs kept for rearing and fattening in order
to ensure rational development of production;
Whereas it is necessary for official services, producers, consumers and
others to be kept informed of developments in this field; whereas the
Commission should therefore, on the basis of a report from the Scien-
tific Veterinary Committee, pursue actively scientific research into thebest pig-rearing system(s) from the point of view of pig welfare;whereas provision should accordingly be made for an interim periodto enable the Commission to complete this task successfully,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
This Directive lays down the minimum standards for the protection of
pigs confined for rearing and fattening.
Article 2
For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply:
1. ‘pig’: an animal of the porcine species, of any age, kept for
breeding or fattening;
2. ‘boar’: a male pig after puberty, intended for breeding;
3. ‘gilt’: a female pig after puberty and before farrowing;1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 214, 21. 8. 1989, p. 31.
(2) OJ No C 113, 7. 5. 1990, p. 183.
(3) OJ No C 62, 12. 3. 1990, p. 40.
(4) OJ No L 323, 17. 11. 1978, p. 12.
(5) OJ No C 76, 23. 3. 1987, p. 185.
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4. ‘sow’: a female pig after the first farrowing;
5. ‘farrowing sow’: a female pig between the perinatal period and the
weaning of the piglets;
6. ‘dry pregnant sow’: a sow between weaning her piglets and the
perinatal period;
7. ‘piglet’: a pig from birth to weaning;8. ‘weaner’: a pig from weaning to the age of ten weeks;9. ‘rearing pig’: a pig from ten weeks to slaughter or service;
10. ‘competent authority’: a competent authority within the meaning of
Article 2 (6), of Directive 90/425/EEC(
1).
Article 3
Member States shall ensure as follows:
1. all holdings shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) the unobstructed floor area available to each weaner or rearing
pig kept in a group, excluding gilts after service and sows,must be at least:
Live weight, kg m2
Upto 10 0,15
Over 10 upto 20 0,20Over 20 upto 30 0,30Over 30 upto 50 0,40
Over 50 upto 85 0,55
Over 85 upto 110 0,65More than 110 1,00
(b) the total unobstructed floor area available to each gilt after
service and to each sow when gilts and/or sows are kept ingroups must be at least 1,64 m
2and 2,25 m2respectively.
When these animals are kept in groups of less than 6 individuals
the unobstructed floor area must be increased by 10 %. When
these animals are kept in groups of 40 or more individuals theunobstructed floor area may be decreased by 10 %;
2. flooring surfaces shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) for gilts after service and pregnant sows: a part of the area
required in 1(b), equal to at least 0,95 m
2per gilt and at least
1,3 m2per sow, must be of continuous solid floor of which a
maximum of 15 % is reserved for drainage openings;
(b) when concrete slatted floors are used for pigs kept in groups:
(i) the maximum width of the openings must be:
— 11 mm for piglets,
— 14 mm for weaners,
— 18 mm for rearing pigs,
— 20 mm for gilts after service and sows;
(ii) the minimum slat width must be:
— 50 mm for piglets and weaners, and1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 3
(1) OJ No L 224, 18. 8. 1990, p. 29. Directive as last amended by Directive 91/
496/EEC (OJ No L 268, 24. 9. 1991, p. 56).▼M1
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— 80 mm for rearing pigs, gilts after service and sows;
3. the construction of or conversion to installations in which sows and
gilts are tethered is prohibited. From 1 January 2006 the use oftethers for sows and gilts shall be prohibited;
4. (a) sows and gilts shall be kept in groups during a period starting
from 4 weeks after the service to 1 week before the expectedtime of farrowing. The pen where the group is kept must have
sides greater than 2,8 m in length. When less than 6 individuals
are kept in a group the pen where the group is kept must havesides greater than 2,4 m in length;
(b) by way of derogation from the provisions of (a), sows and gilts
raised on holdings of fewer than 10 sows may be kept individu-ally during the period mentioned in (a), provided that they canturn around easily in their boxes;
5. without prejudice to the requirements laid down in the Annex, sows
and gilts shall have permanent access to manipulable material at
least complying with the relevant requirements of that Annex;
6. sows and gilts kept in groups must be fed using a system which
ensures that each individual can obtain sufficient food even when
competitors for the food are present;
7. to satisfy their hunger and given the need to chew, all dry pregnant
sows and gilts must be given a sufficient quantity of bulky or high-fibre food as well as high-energy food;
8. pigs which have to be kept in groups, which are particular aggres-
sors, which have been attacked by other pigs or which are sick orinjured, may temporarily be kept in individual pens. In this casethe individual pen used shall allow the animal to turn around easilyif this is not in contradiction with specific veterinary advice;
9. from 1 January 2003 provisions laid down in points 1(b), 2, 4, 5 and
the last sentence of point 8 shall apply to all holdings newly built or
rebuilt or brought into use for the first time after that date. From 1
January 2013 those provisions shall apply to all holdings.
The provisions laid down in point 4(a) shall not apply to holdings
with fewer than ten sows.
Article 4
1. Member States shall ensure that the conditions for rearing pigs
comply with the general provisions laid down in the Annex.
However, until 30 June 1995, the Member States' competent authorities
may authorize derogations from paragraphs 3, 5, 8 and 11 of Chapter Iof the Annex.
2. Moreover, before this Directive enters into force, the Commis-
sion, in cooperation with the Member States, shall issue arecommendation defining any additional minimum standards for theprotection of pigs supplementing those in the Annex.
Article 5
The provisions of the Annex may be amended in accordance with the
procedure laid down in Article 10, in order to take account of scientificprogress.
Article 5a
Member States shall ensure that:
1. any person who employs or engages persons to attend to pigs
ensures that the person attending to the animals has received instruc-tions and guidance on the relevant provisions of Article 3 and theAnnex;
2. appropriate training courses are available. In particular such training
courses must focus on welfare aspects.1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 4
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Article 6
1. Preferably before 1 January 2005 and in any event by 1 July
2005, the Commission shall submit to the Council a report, drawn upon the basis of an opinion from the Scientific Committee on AnimalHealth and Welfare. The report shall be drawn up taking into accountthe socio-economic consequences, the sanitary consequences, the envir-
onmental effects and different climatic conditions. It shall also take
into account the development of techniques and systems of pig produc-tion and meat processing which would be likely to reduce the need toresort to surgical castration. If need be, the report shall be accompaniedby appropriate legislative proposals on the effects of different spaceallowances and floor types applicable to the welfare of weaners and
rearing pigs. The Council shall act on these proposals by a qualified
majority.
2. Not later than 1 January 2008 the Commission shall submit to the
Council a report, drawn up on the basis of an opinion from the Scien-
tific Committee on Animal Health and Welfare.
The report shall cover in particular:
(a) the effects of stocking density, including groupsize and methods of
grouping the animals, in different farming systems on the welfare,including health, of pigs;
(b) the impact of stall design and different flooring types on the
welfare, including health, of pigs, taking into account differentclimatic conditions;
(c) the risk factors associated with tail biting and recommendations to
reduce the need for tail docking;
(d) further developments of group-housing systems for pregnant sows,
taking account both of pathological, zootechnical, physiologicaland ethological aspects of the various systems and of their health
and environmental impact and of the different climatic conditions;
(e) the determination of space requirements, including the service area
for individually housed adult breeding boars;
(f) further developments of loose-house systems for sows in the
service area and for farrowing sows, which meet the needs of thesow without compromising piglet survival;
(g) consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards pigmeat in the event of
different levels of improvement in the welfare of the animals;
(h) socio-economic implications of the various systems of rearing pigs
and their effects on the Community's economic partners.
The report may, if necessary, be accompanied by appropriate legisla-
tive proposals.
Article 7
1. Member States shall ensure that inspections are carried out under
the responsibility of the competent authority in order to check that theprovisions of this Directive and its Annex are being complied with.
These inspections, which may be carried out on the occasion of checks
made for other purposes, shall each year cover a statistically represen-tative sample of the different rearing systems used in each MemberState.
2. The Commission shall, in accordance with the procedure laid
down in Article 10, draw up a code of rules to be applied in carryingout the inspections provided for in paragraph 1.
3. Every two years, by the last working day in April and for the first
time by 30 April 1996, Member States shall inform the Commission ofthe results of the inspections carried out during the previous two yearsin accordance with this Article, including the number of inspectionscarried out in proportion to the number of holdings in their territory.1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 5
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Article 8
Animals imported from non-member countries must, with respect to the
requirements for their welfare, whilst being reared, receive treatment at
least equivalent to that guaranteed by this Directive to animals of
Community origin. This requirement must be stated in a certificateissued by the competent authority of the non-member countryconcerned.
Article 9
Veterinary experts from the Commission may, where necessary for the
uniform application of this Directive, carry out on-the-spot checks incooperation with the competent authorities. The persons carrying outthese checks shall implement the special personal hygiene measures
necessary to exclude any risk of transmission of disease.
The Member State in the territory of which a check is being carried out
shall give all necessary assistance to the experts in carrying out theirduties. The Commission shall inform the competent authority of theMember State concerned of the results of the checks.
The competent authority of the Member State concerned shall take any
measures which may prove necessary to take account of the results of
the check.
With regard to relations with non-member countries, the provisions of
Chapter III of Directive 91/496/EEC(
1) shall apply.
General rules for the application of this Article shall be adopted in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 10.
Article 10
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing Veterinary
Committee established by Decision 68/361/EEC(2) (hereinafter referred
to as ‘the Committee’).
2. Where reference is made to this Article, Articles 5 and 7 of
Council Decision 1999/468/EC(3) shall apply.
The period referred to in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be
set at three months.
3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 11
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions, including any sanctions, necessary to complywith this Directive not later than 1 January 1994. They shall forthwithinform the Commission thereof.
Where Member States adopt these provisions, the latter shall include a
reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such a reference
on their official publication. The details of this reference shall beadopted by the Member States.
2. However, from the date set in paragraph 1, Member States may,
in compliance with the general rules of the Treaty, maintain or applywithin their territories stricter provisions for the protection of pigsthan those laid down in this Directive. They shall inform the Commis-
sion of any such measures.
Article 12
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 6
(1) OJ No L 268, 24. 9. 1991, p. 56.
(2) OJ L 255, 18.10.1968, p. 23.
(3) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.▼M1
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ANNEX
CHAPTER I
GENERALCONDITIONS
In addition to the relevant provisions of the Annex to Directive 98/58/EC, the
following requirements apply:
1. In the part of the building where pigs are kept continuous noise levels as
loud as 85 dBA shall be avoided. Constant or sudden noise shall be avoided.
2. Pigs must be kept in light with an intensity of at least 40 lux for a minimum
period of minimum eight hours per day.
3. The accommodation for pigs must be constructed in such a way as to allow
the animals to:
— have access to a lying area physically and thermally comfortable as well
as adequately drained and clean which allow all the animals to lie at the
same time,
— rest and get upnormally,
— see other pigs; however, in the week before the expected farrowing time
and during farrowing, sows and gilts can be kept out of the sight of
conspecifics.
4. Not withstanding Article 3(5), pigs must have permanent access to a suffi-
cient quantity of material to enable proper investigation and manipulation
activities, such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost, peat or a
mixture of such, which does not compromise the health of the animals.
5. Floors must be smooth but not slippery so as to prevent injury to the pigs and
so designed, constructed and maintained so as not to cause injury or suffering
to pigs. They must be suitable for the size and weight of the pigs and, if no
litter is provided, form a rigid, even and stable surface.
6. All pigs must be fed at least once a day. Where pigs are fed in groups and
notad libitum or by an automatic system feeding the animals individually,
each pig must have access to the food at the same time as the others in the
group.
7. All pigs over two weeks of age must have permanent access to a sufficient
quantity of fresh water.
8. All procedures intended as an intervention carried out for other than thera-
peutic or diagnostic purposes or for the identification of the pigs in
accordance with relevant legislation and resulting in damage to or the loss
of a sensitive part of the body or the alteration of bone structure shall be
prohibited with the following exceptions:
— a uniform reduction of corner teeth of piglets by grinding or clipping not
later than the seventh day of life of the piglets leaving an intact smooth
surface; boars' tusks may be reduced in length where necessary to prevent
injuries to other animals or for safety reasons,
— docking of a part of the tail,— castration of male pigs by other means than tearing of tissues,
— nose ringing only when the animals are kept in outdoor husbandry
systems and in compliance with national legislation.
Neither tail docking nor reduction of corner teeth must be carried out routi-
nely but only where there is evidence that injuries to sows' teats or to other
pigs' ears or tails have occurred. Before carrying out these procedures, other
measures shall be taken to prevent tail biting and other vices taking into
account environment and stocking densities. For this reason inadequate envir-
onmental conditions or management systems must be changed.
Any of the procedures described above shall only be carried out by a veter-
inarian or a person trained as provided in Article 5 of this Directive
experienced in performing the applied techniques with appropriate means
and under hygienic conditions. If castration or docking of tails is practised
after seventh day of life, it shall only be performed under anaesthetic and
additional prolonged analgesia by a veterinarian.
CHAPTER II
SPECIFICPROVISIONSFORVARIOUSCATEGORIESOFPIGS
A. BOARS
Boar pens must be sited and constructed so as to allow the boar to turn
round and to hear, smell and see other pigs. The unobstructed floor area
available to an adult boar must be at least 6 m
2.1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 7
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Where pens are also used for natural service the floor area available to an
adult boar must be at least of 10 m2and the pen must be free of any obsta-
cles. From 1 January 2003 this provision shall apply to all holdings newly
built or rebuilt or brought into use for the first time after this date. From 1
January 2005 this provision shall apply to all holdings.
B. SOWS AND GILTS
1. Measures shall be taken to minimise aggression in groups.
2. Pregnant sows and gilts must, if necessary, be treated against external and
internal parasites. If they are placed in farrowing crates, pregnant sows
and gilts must be thoroughly cleaned.
3. In the week before the expected farrowing time sows and gilts must be
given suitable nesting material in sufficient quantity unless it is not tech-
nically feasible for the slurry system used in the establishment.
4. An unobstructed area behind the sow or gilt must be available for the
ease of natural or assisted farrowing.
5. Farrowing pens where sows are kept loose must have some means of
protecting the piglets, such as farrowing rails.
C. PIGLETS
1. A part of the total floor, sufficient to allow the animal to rest together at
the same time, must be solid or covered with a mat, or be littered with
straw or any other suitable material.
2. Where a farrowing crate is used, the piglets must have sufficient space to
be able to be suckled without difficulty.
3. No piglets shall be weaned from the sow at less than 28 days of age
unless the welfare or health of the dam or the piglet would otherwise be
adversely affected.
However, piglets may be weaned up to seven days earlier if they are
moved into specialised housings which are emptied and thoroughly
cleaned and disinfected before the introduction of a new groupand which
are separated from housings where sows are kept, in order to minimise
the transmission of diseases to the piglets.
D. WEANERS AND REARING PIGS
1. When pigs are kept in groups measures must be taken to prevent fighting
which goes beyond normal behaviour.
2. They should be kept in groups with as little mixing as possible. If pigs
unfamiliar with one another have to be mixed, this should be done at as
young an age as possible, preferably before or up to one week after
weaning. When pigs are mixed they shall be provided with adequate
opportunities to escape and hide from other pigs.
3. When signs of severe fighting appear the causes shall be immediately
investigated and appropriate measures taken such as providing plentiful
straw to the animals, if possible, or other materials for investigation.
Animals at risk or particular aggressors shall be kept separate from the
group.
4. The use of tranquillising medicaments in order to facilitate mixing shall
be limited to exceptional conditions and only after consultation with a
veterinarian.1991L0630 — EN — 21.12.2001 — 002.001 — 8