Amended proposal for a Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens kept in various systems of rearing
Date: 1999-05-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: animal welfare, intensive livestock farming, laying poultry, protection of animals, veterinary legislation

C 184/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30.6.1999

II

(Preparatory Acts)

COMMISSION

Amended proposal for a Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of
laying hens kept in various systems of rearing (1)

(1999/C 184/03)

COM(1999) 223 final (cid:151) 98/0092(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty on 12 May 1999)

On 11 March 1998 the Commission presented the above
proposal to the Council.

(cid:151) Article 3(2) is replaced by:

Following the opinion the European Parliament delivered at its
sitting of 28 January 1999, the original proposal is amended as
follows:

(cid:151) the following recital is added:

(cid:145)Whereas it is also essential to strike a balance among all
the factors involved, including pathological aspects and the
socio-economic and environmental implications;(cid:146)

(cid:151) in Article 2 a new paragraph is added:

(cid:145)6. (cid:147)Beak-trimming(cid:148): the removal of the point of the upper

and lower mandible.(cid:146)

(cid:151) Article 3(1) first paragraph, is replaced by:

(cid:145)1. Member States shall ensure that from 1 January 2001,
all newly built or rebuilt systems of rearing and all such
systems of rearing brought
time,
excluding those already covered by Directive 88/166/EEC,
comply at least with the following requirements:(cid:146)

into use for the first

(cid:151) Article 3(1)(b) is replaced by:

(cid:145)(b) Adequate perching facilities, mounted at least 10 cm
above housing or tier level, without sharp edges and
providing at least 15 cm per bird, must be available for
all hens. The horizontal distance between perches must
be no more than 1 meter;(cid:146)

(cid:151) Article 3(1)(e) is replaced by:

(cid:145)(e) when continuous drinking troughs are used, each bird
must have access to at least 3 cm of trough and where
circular drinking troughs are used there must be access
of at least 1,5 cm. When cups or nipple drinkers are
used, at
least one cup or nipple drinker must be
provided for every 10 birds. If the group size is less
than 10 birds at
two nipple drinkers or two
drinking cups shall be within reach of that group;(cid:146)

least

(1) OJ C 157, 4.6.1999, p. 8.

freely between different

If systems of rearing are used where the birds can
(cid:145)2.
move
following
additional conditions to the requirements of paragraph 1
shall be met:

levels

the

(a) stocking density may not exceed 20 hens per m2 of
floor surface area; nest areas are not to be included
as part of the floor surface area;

(b) the height between the levels must be at least 50 cm;

(c)

the drinking and feeding facilities must be distributed
equally;

(d) the competent authority may allow beak trimming,
with the restriction that beak trimming may only be
practised on chickens less the age of 10 days;

(e) at least one third of the floor surface area must be

supplied with litter.(cid:146)

(cid:151) Article 3(3) is replaced by:

If enriched cages are used the following additional

(cid:145)3.
conditions to the requirements of paragraph 1 are met:

(a) cages shall be at least 50 cm high at any point;

(b) cages shall be provided with a fully-opening cage front
or an equivalent opening in another part of the cage to
prevent injuries to the birds;

(c) there shall be a minimum aisle width of 1 meter
instal-

between tiers of cages to facilitate inspection,
lation and depopulation of birds;

(d) the birds shall not have their beak trimmed.(cid:146)

(cid:151) Article 4(3) is replaced by:

(cid:145)3.
However, from 1 January 2006 the required space
per hen as laid down in paragraph 1(a) of this Article
shall be increased to at least 550 cm2 per hen.(cid:146)

30.6.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 184/5

(cid:151) Article 6.3 is replaced by:

(cid:145)3.
Every two years, by the last working day in April and
for the first time by 30 April 2003, Member States shall
inform the Commission of the results of the inspections
carried out during the previous two years in accordance
with this Article,
inspections
carried out in relation to the number of holdings in their
territory. This report shalll be available to the public.(cid:146)

including the number of

(cid:151) Article 9(1) is replaced by:

Not later than 1 January 2008, the Commission shall
(cid:145)1.
submit
to the Council and to the Parliament a report,
drawn up on the basis of an opinion from the Scientific
Veterinary Committee, on the systems of
rearing for
keeping laying hens which comply with the requirements
from the pathological,
of

the welfare of

laying hens

physiological,
view,

socio-
zootechnical,
economic point of
together with appropriate
proposals to phase out those systems of rearing which do
not meet these requirements.(cid:146)

behavioural

and

(cid:151) Article 10 is replaced by:

(cid:145)Article 10

Council Directive 88/166/EEC is repealed with effect from 1
January 2001.(cid:146)

(cid:151) Article 11(1) first subparagraph, is replaced by:

(cid:145)1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regu-
lations and administrative provisions, necessary to comply
with this Directive before 1 January 2001. They shall
forthwith inform the Commission thereof.(cid:146)