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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(80)406
Vol.1980/0143

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)406 final
Brussels ,14th July 1980
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TOTHE COUNCIL
ONTHE INTENSIVE KEEPING OFEGG-LAYING HENS
DRAFT COUNCIL RESOLUTION
ONTHE PROTECTION OFEGG-LAYING HENS INCAGES
7'8n
'"'M .
M%^"7\le*3 O . / k.
f-H *'-■> t-
COM (80)406 final

■ COMMISSION
OFTHE
iUROPfANCOMMUNITIES
Directorate-General forAgriculture
DRAFTCOMMUNICATION
FROMTHECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCIL
:ONTHE-INTENSIVE KEEPING OFEGG-LAYING HENS
(COMMUNICATION FROMMR.GUNDELACH TOTHECOMMISSION )

-EXPLANATORY NOTETOTHECOMMISSION
(Communication fromMr-Gundelach )
In1979,followingarequestofthegovernmentofGermany,theCouncilinT?*ed
theCommissiontoconsidertheproblemoftheprotectionofegg-laying hen-*,in
particular whentheyarekeptincages.
y -1 ■ •
TheannexeddraftCommunication totheCouncilgivesabriefreviewofthe.
existingstateofknowledgeontheproblemandproposesgeneralorientations
• i 'forfutureactions,thatistosaytheestablishment ofminimalrequirements
toassuretheprotectionofhenskeptincagesanddevelopment ofcomplementary
studiesandresearchespeciallyintoalternativesystems.
Theattachedproposalfora'CouncilResolution,providesforadoptionofthe
principletoestablishrulesforegg-layinghensincagesandgivesan
orientation forfuturecomplementary work.
ThesetextshavebeensubmittedtotheMemberStatesintheveterinary .<
legislationworkinggroup,„andgivenafavourablereception.
ItisproposedthattheCommission :
-adoptstheannexedcommunication -andproposalforaresolutionandsen:s
themtotheCouncilsothattheymaybeconsideredatthemeetingofthe
22July.
-sendsthetwotextstotheEuropeanParliamentforinformation.'

DRAFT '
■COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TOTHE COUNCIL
•ONTHE INTENSIVE KEEPING OFEGG-LAYING HENS
1■'""• ""– \
1,In1978 about 326million laying hens laid 68thousand million eggs inthe
Community Member States ,The lowprice totheconsumer ofthis valuable ,
high quality food hasonly been made possible bythedevelopment ofsystems
ofkeeping poultry intensively .Atpresent ,about 90% oflaying hens inthe
Community are kept insystems using battery cages .The intensive nature of
* ,
these housing systems has given rise toconcern that insafeguarding human
food supplies theneed toprotect animals-from unnecessary suffering should
notbeforgotten , ,
"In"1979 theCouncil invited the Commission tostudy theconditions for keeping
"egg laying hens inthe Community ;inparticular thecurrent practice of
keeping hens incages andconsidering inter alia animal welfare aspects ,social
ethics ,health andeconomic factors ,
iAccordingly theCommission established aresearch group toreview the present
practices andassess gaps inknowledge onthis subject , -Aspart ofthis work
(Luxembourg ,11-13 March 1980 )the Commission organized atechnical seminar
ontheinteraction ofthe laying henand itsenvironment <EUR 6877 E).
2,Duetothevery diverse nature ofthefactors which must betaken into account ,
itisclear that itisnecessary toestablish anddefine clearer objective
parameters .Itisalso necessary tobeable tomake asynthesis ofthese
separate considerations inorder togive thebasis foranylegislative ■
proposals , '
Proper keeping ofhens incages isnot asimple issue which can bedefined
without Reference toseveral scientific andother factors .These include for
■ *
example ,,breeding ,'nutrition ,behaviour ,health ,frustration ,environment .Any
assessment ofwelfare istherefore multidisciplinary ,complex and likely to
.contain anelement ofjudgement .
rrovisionol oddress :fi«edeJe 200 . Swsseîs -T«fc*hone 35«HÛ-35«O40 -Teleoroplvc «Mress :«COMEUR BrysseU .-

-2-
Atthepresenttimetherea><?stillgreatdifferencesofopinionr;nshe
relativesignifiraoceofthesedifferentparameters.Forexample,v.-animal
behaviourthereisdebateonthedifficultyofdetermining'whetheracnar'^e
inbehaviourisacompensation oradaptationtoanenvironmental char-;or
wl'etherthebehaviourindicatesfrustration,stressorsuffering.
Evenif/itissometimespossibletoestablishthatthewelfareofthe.animal
isinfluencedinsome'way,itmayatthesametimebedifficulttosaytowhat
extentanydisadvantage hasnotbeencompensatedforbysomeotheraspectsof
thesystem.-Similarlythe:interactionofchangesinhousingsystemswith
questionsofhealth,productionandeconomicsarenotyetclearlydefined.
OneMemberStatewherethekeepingofcagedlayingbirdswasprohibitedun^il
1979reconsideredthisbanafterathoroughstudyoftheproblem.Asaresult,
thekeppingofcagedlayingbirdsisnowpermittedsubjecttocompliance ;with
specificrequirements toensureacceptableconditionsfor/thebirds.
Althoughresearchalonecanneverbeexpectedtoprovidealltheanswersto
serveasabasisforlegislativeproposals,anumberofusefulconclusions
werereachedattheLuxembourgseminar:
(i)Undesirableeffectscanbeseeninsomesystentslargelyduetobadly k
designedcages.Consequently,agreaterresearcheffortmustbec-adeto
"improvepoultryhousing.
•' '' ·' 1''
(ii)Cagesingeneralcannot.bedismissedasamethodofkeepinghen;without
morebeingknownofthewelfareofpoultrykeptinthiswayandin
-alternative ,systems.Studiesofpoultrywelfaremustthereforebe
continuedwithspeciaIreferenceto:
(a)definitionoftheoptimalsocialspacerequiredbythelayinghen;.■
(b)quantitative analysisofqualitativebehaviourwithparticular
referenceto: *
-theneedtoprovideanexternalmeasureoffrustration/distorted
behaviour;
*-theneedtoclassifycertainpartsofthebehaviouralrepertoir
asessential.
(iii)Simultaneously ^alternativesystemsofhousing^should befurtherresearched,
withaviewtofuturedevelopment., ,

AdetailedresearchprogrammewillbediscussedinJulywithaviewtoearly
actionbytheCommissionandintheMemberStates.
Inaddition,atalaterstage,rulesforregularsupervision,inspectionand
theuseoffailsafedevicesforemergencies shouldbeconsidered ,,Untilthese
principlesaremoreclearlyestablished anddefined,economicaspectsofthe
systemofeggproductioncannotbeadequatelyconsidered.
t
Withthepresentstateofknowledge/thereiscertainlynopracticeofintensive
pountrykeepingwhichfulfilsallthediverseandsometimescontradictory
requirements .Inconsequence,itisnotpossibleatpresenttorecommendone
specificsysteminpreferencetoothers.•
Itisprobablyforthisreasonthatneitheratnationallevelnoratthe
international leveloftheStandingCommitteeoftheEuropeanConventionfor
theprotectionofanimalskeptforfarmingpurposes,whichisaisoconsidering
thisquestion,hasitbeenagreedtoprohibitaspecificsystem.Instead
effortsaremadetoensurethatbirdsareprotectedinallexistingsystems.
TheCommissionsharesthisattitudebecauseevidenceispresentedwhichmay•
'indicatethatsomeformsofrearinghensincagesgiverisetoharmand
sufferingofthebirdsifcertainparametersarenotrespected. ,
Thereisaneedthereforetoestablishhighpriorityparametersanddefine
commonminimalrequirements toensuretheprotectionofbirdsinallintensive
systemsbutinparticularforthosekeptincages.
ι -
*
TheCommissionthereforeinvitestheCounciltoapprovetheannexedProposal /
concerningtheprotectionofegglayinghensintheCommunity.

COUNCILRESOLUTION
of
onthe.protectionofegg-Laying ,hensincages
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES .
Whereas .thekeepingofegg-Laying hensincagesisthemostwideLyusedmeansof
eggproductionintheCommunityandthatthismeanslargelycontributes tothe
highproductivity ofthissector; ~
••
Whereas,howe.ver,thismeansofkeepingmay,incertaincases.Leadtoavoidable
andunnecessary suffering onthepartoftheanimaL;andwhereasthisrisk
justifiestheadoptionofappropriate measures;
Whereasthenationallawsatpresentinforceinthefieldofprotection of
intensively housedanimalspresentdifferences whichmaycreatedistortionof
competition andinconsequence haveadirecteffectonthefunctioningofthe.
CommonMarket; x
Whereasthereisneedthereforetoestablishhighpriorityparameters andde.'ire
commonminimalrequirements toensuretheprotectionofbirdsinallintensive
systems; .•
Whereasitisnecessary,asafirststep,toenvisagetheestablishment of
CommunitymeasuresinordertoassuretheprotectionofeggLayinghensincages;-
whereastodothisitis,however,necessarytoprovidetimeforadaptation;
' /■
Whereastoprovidethebasisfor-furtherCommunitymeasures,studiesmustbe,
continuedinpoultrywelfarenotonlyasregardskeepingpoultryincagesbutalso
inalternative systemsofhousing;
AGREES ' - "
1.That,therearingofegg-layinghensincagesmustbesubjecttocompliancewith
theminimalstandardsandcriteriaestablished inordertoassuretheprotection
oftheseanimals,
2.Thattherelevantrulesmentionedinparagraph 1,willbeadoptedbytheCouncil
act'inqonaproposalfromtheCommission ,,b"ore1November1981.

-2-
INVITES
1.TheCommissiontosubmit,ingoodtime,areportandappropriate proposals
toensurethewelfareofegglayinghenskeptincages.
2.TheCommissiontopursuestudiesonthewelfareofegg-laying henskeptin
different systemsofhousing.