Welfare conditions for laying hens are not uniform across the EU

The European Commission presented a few days ago an audit report on the official controls of the welfare conditions of laying hens. In it he concludes that "national provisions are very diverse and cover many different areas, which explains why the welfare conditions of laying hens are not uniform in the European Union." Many Member States have adopted stricter than common national provisions for the protection of laying hens: some prohibit the use of cages, others increase the minimum space per animal or require natural lighting. Regardless of the level of requirement, "animals generally benefit from better welfare conditions when clearer or additional national provisions have been adopted," stresses Brussels. Laying hens are one of the animal species for which European legislation sets specific standards. According to the Commission, the Member States carry out official controls that generally guarantee correct application of these requirements. The main deficiency found is ...