Commission Directive 2002/4/EC of 30 January 2002 on the registration of establishments keeping laying hens, covered by Council Directive 1999/74/EC
Date: 2002-01-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agricultural building, laying poultry, livestock farming

L 30/44

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.1.2002

COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2002/4/EC

of 30 January 2002

on the registration of establishments keeping laying hens, covered by Council Directive
1999/74/EC

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(6)

The measures provided for in this Directive are in
accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary
Committee,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 1999/74/EC of 19 July
1999 laying down minimum standards for the protection of
laying hens (1), and in particular Article 7 thereof,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Directive 1999/74/EC lays down specific requirements
for the protection of laying hens in various systems of
farming and allow the Member States to choose the
most appropriate system or systems.

Article 7 of Directive 1999/74/EC requires that every
establishment covered by the scope of that Directive
shall be registered by the competent authority of the
Member State and given a distinguishing number, which
will be the medium for tracing eggs placed on the
market for human consumption.

Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 of 26 June 1990
on certain marketing standards for eggs (2), as last
amended by Regulation (EC) No 5/2001 (3), makes it
compulsory to stamp eggs with a code designating the
producer's distinguishing number and permitting the
farming method to be identified.

The farming methods are defined by Commission Regu-
lation (EEC) No 1274/91 of 15 May 1991 introducing
detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EEC) No
1907/90 on certain marketing standards for eggs (4), as
last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1651/2001 (5), and
also by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 of 24
June 1991 on organic production of agricultural prod-
ucts and indications referring thereto on agricultural
products and foodstuffs (6), as last amended by Commis-
sion Regulation (EC) No 2491/2001 (7), as far as organic
production is concerned.

(5)

A registration of the establishments under distinguishing
numbers is a condition for tracing eggs placed on the
market for human consumption.

(1) OJ L 203, 3.8.1999, p. 53.
(2) OJ L 173, 6.7.1990, p. 5.
(3) OJ L 2, 5.1.2001, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 121, 16.5.1991, p. 11.
(5) OJ L 220, 15.8.2001, p. 5.
(6) OJ L 198, 22.7.1991, p. 1.
(7) OJ L 337, 20.12.2001, p. 9.

Article 1

1. Member States shall:

(a) establish a system for registering every production site
(hereafter: establishment) covered by the scope of Directive
1999/74/EC, allocating a distinguishing number to it,
in
conformity with the Annex to this Directive;

(b) ensure that for each such establishment at least the infor-
mation set out in point 1 of the Annex is supplied to the
competent authority of the Member State, by a date deter-
mined by the Member State; this date shall be such as to
allow sufficient time for registration of those establish-
ments in accordance with point (c);

(c) ensure that each establishment

for which the required
information is supplied by the date determined pursuant to
point
registered and allocated a distinguishing
number by 31 May 2003.

(b)

is

2. Member States shall provide that, from 1 June 2003

(a) no establishment

for which the information required
pursuant to paragraph 1(b) has not been supplied by the
date determined there may continue to be used; and

(b) no new establishment is brought into use prior to comple-
the distinguishing

registration and receipt of

tion of
number.

3. Member States shall ensure that the register of establish-
ments established pursuant to paragraph 1 is accessible to the
competent authority of the Member State for the purpose of
tracing eggs put on the market for human consumption.

4. Member States shall ensure that changes concerning
registered data are notified to the competent authority without
delay and that the register is updated immediately when such
information is received.

Article 2

Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions to comply with this Directive by 31
March 2003. They shall
forthwith communicate to the
Commission the text of those provisions.

31.1.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 30/45

those provisions,

they shall
When Member States adopt
contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by
such a reference on the occasion of their official publication.
Member States shall determine how such reference is to be
made.

Article 3

This Directive shall enter into force on the 20th day following
that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Communities.

Article 4

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 30 January 2002.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

L 30/46

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.1.2002

ANNEX

The definitions in Article 2 of Directive 1999/74/EC shall apply where necessary.

1. DATA REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION

For each establishment at least the following data shall be registered:
— establishment:

— name of the establishment,
— address,

— natural person responsible for the laying hens (hereafter ‘keeper’):

— name,
— address,
— registration number(s) of other establishment(s) covered by the scope of Directive 1999/74/EC run or owned

by the keeper,

— owner of the establishment,

if different from the keeper:

— name,
— address,
— registration number(s) of other establishment(s) covered by the scope of Directive 1999/74/EC owned or run

by the owner,

— further information on the establishment:

— farming method(s) according to the definitions referred to under point 2.1,
— maximum capacity of the establishment in number of birds present at one time; if different farming methods

are used additionally the maximum number of birds present at one time per farming method.

2. DISTINGUISHING NUMBER

The distinguishing number shall be composed of a digit indicating the farming method determined in accordance
with point 2.1 followed by the code of the Member State according to point 2.2 and an identification number
defined by the Member State in which the establishment is located.

2.1. Code for the farming method

The farming methods as defined in Regulation (EEC) No 1274/91 as amended used in the establishment shall be
indicated by the following code:
1
2
3

Free range
Barn
Cages

The farming method used in establishments producing under the conditions specified in Regulation (EEC) No
2092/91 shall be indicated by:
0

Organic production

2.2. Code for the Member State of registration

AT
BE
DE
DK
ES
FI
FR
GR
IE
IT
LU
NL
PT
SE
UK

Austria
Belgium
Germany
Denmark
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Portugal
Sweden
United Kingdom

2.3. Identification of the establishment

Each Member State shall implement a system to attribute a unique number to each establishment to be registered,
which may also be used for purposes other than for this Directive, provided that the identification of the
establishment is ensured.

Member States can add further characters to the identification number, as for the identification of single flocks kept
in separated buildings of an establishment.