The Greek competent authorities responsible for the welfare of laying hens have put in place official control arrangements, but weaknesses have been identified, according to a report by the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) published on 13 October.
One of the strengths of the system is the mandatory checking of compliance with animal welfare requirements before establishments seeking to keep laying hens are registered and permitted to starting operations.
However, weaknesses in the instructions for officials and the absence of checks in hatcheries and farms “create important gaps”, according to the experts. This has led to “largely undetected” animal welfare problems (e.g. overcrowding of cages). According to the report (https://aeur.eu/f/3of ), the procedures do not guarantee the welfare of laying hens.
Another FVO report states that legislation in Sweden provides for stricter welfare requirements at all stages of production than those laid down in EU legislation, “which increases the level of protection of laying hens” (https://aeur.eu/f/3og ).
According to data provided to the Commission by Member States in 2020, half of the EU’s laying hens were living in cage-free conditions. Sweden reported a total population of 8.7 million laying hens (2.3% of EU hens), of which 94.5% were kept in cage-free conditions. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)