Brussels, 13/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the European Commission sent reasoned opinions to Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy and Portugal for "apparent" failure to implement the 1999 Directive setting out the minimum standards for the protection of laying hens. All Member States were under an obligation to implement the Directive in national law by 1 January 2002 and notify the Commission of the measures taken. The sending of a so-called "reasoned opinion" to the five countries concerned is the second stage in infringement procedure. The Member States now have two months to comply with the "reasoned opinion" or the Commission may decide to take them before the European Court of Justice.
The Directive 1999/74/EC lays down updated minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, introducing enhanced common rules to address previous legislative shortcomings whereby animal welfare concerns were not sufficiently considered. It also allows each Member State to introduce more stringent standards in its own territory. The Directive distinguishes three types of minimum conditions in rearing systems for laying hens: - enriched cages, where laying hens have at least 750 cm2 of cage area per hen; - not enriched cage systems with 550 cm2 of cage area per hen (to be phased out before 2012); and non-cage systems with nests (at least one for 7 hens), adequate perches and where the stocking density does not exceed 9 laying hens per m2 usable area.