WRITTEN QUESTION No. 540/98 by Mark WATTS to the Commission. Welfare of intensively farmed broiler chickens (chickens reared for meat)
Date: 1998-03-04
Institutions: European Parliament, WATTS
Subjects: European Commission, animal welfare, intensive livestock farming, poultry, poultrymeat, proposal (EU), protection of animals

21. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 323/47

(98/C 323/63)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0540/98

by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission

(4 March 1998)

Subject: Welfare of intensively farmed broiler chickens (chickens reared for meat)

4 025 million chickens were reared for meat in the EU in 1996. There is presently no EC Directive to protect the
welfare of these birds.

The majority of the chickens are kept intensively in huge windowless sheds which, as the birds grow bigger,
become severely overcrowded. The worst welfare problems stem from the fact that modern broiler chickens have
been bred to reach their slaughter weight in around only six weeks. The bird(cid:146)s legs fail to keep pace with the rapid
muscle growth and often cannot properly support the bird(cid:146)s over-developed body. As a result, each year tens of
millions of broiler chickens in the EU suffer from painful leg disorders.

In light of this information what plans does the Commission have to ask the new Scientific Committee on Animal
Health and Animal Welfare to produce a report on the welfare of intensively kept broiler chickens?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 1998)

As the Commission indicated in its replies to written questions No 1963/96 and 1964/96 there is currently no
Community legislation on the welfare of poultry kept for meat production. The Commission accepts that the
recommendations under the European convention for the protection of animals kept for farming purposes will
need appropriate legislation at the Community level in order to facilitate the uniform enforcement within the
Member States.

In this connection the Commission has presented a proposal for a Council directive concerning the protection of
animals for farming purposes (1), which will provide the legal basis for future proposals to be submitted to the
Council concerning farm animal welfare.

It is also the intention of the Commission to ask the scientific committee on animal health and animal welfare to
prepare an opinion on the welfare of broiler chickens.

(1)  OJ C 156, 23.6.1992.

(98/C 323/64)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0541/98

by David Thomas (PSE) to the Commission

(4 March 1998)

Subject: Spanish tax system

Does the Commission consider that the difference in the rules governing the application of the Patrimonio tax
and the Renta tax on Spanish and non-Spanish nationals is discriminatory?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(5 May 1998)

The Commission assumes that the Honourable Member is referring in his question to the taxation of immovable
property belonging to non-residents.

It should be pointed out that the rules of the Spanish legislation in question which govern income tax and wealth
tax in the case of immovable property are not based on nationality but on whether the person concerned has the
status of resident or non-resident in Spain.