As previously announced, the Commission presented a delegated act, on 20 September, that seeks to extend from 12 to 16 weeks the length of time hens may be kept inside without their eggs no longer being able to be described as “free-range” (see EUROPE 11853 and 11723).
In so doing, the Commission is, as producers wanted, amending the rules on the marketing standards that apply to eggs.
Current marketing standards mean that “free-range” eggs can no longer be labelled as such when laying hens’ outdoor access is restricted for veterinary reasons for more than 12 weeks.
Avian influenza outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 have been such that veterinary housing orders exceeded this limit and eggs had to be marketed as “barn” eggs with a corresponding loss in value, the Commission says.
It proposes to adjust the marketing standard in question and to provide for a longer derogation period (16 weeks). To harmonise implementation throughout the EU, the revision also clarifies the starting point of the derogation period. That maximum period starts from the date on which the group of hens in question, put in place at the same time, actually had their access to open air runs restricted.
The European Parliament and Council have two months to consider this delegated act ahead of its coming into effect in December, following publication in the Official Journal of the EU. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)