Brussels, 08/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - In the evening of Monday 7 May, the agriculture ministers of the 27 EU member states reached a political agreement on the draft directive which will, for the first time, allow harmonisation of minimum rules protecting chickens kept for meat, thanks to a compromise on the most divisive issue: stocking density. The new directive will have to be transposed into national legislations by June 2010 at the latest. The German presidency is delighted to have been able to find agreement on a matter that has been rumbling on for two years.
In a statement to press, European Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said he thought a “good compromise” had been reached. Only Austria opposed the compromise, preferring to stick to the 32 kg/m² maximum density, as originally proposed by the European Commission. “It is not just about ethics, it is also about what European consumers want,” Mr Kyprianou said.
The compromise introduces a maximum 33 kg of chickens per square metre in cages, with a possible exemption of up to 39 kg for holdings where additional provisions are met (for example, in terms of ventilation and humidity levels). Countries where there is a very low mortality rate among chicks and chickens during their short growth cycle (less than 3%, compared with the European average mortality rate of 6%) will benefit from a “reward system” under which a bonus of 3 kg/m² may be granted, thus allowing a maximum density of 42 kg/m². Currently, only a few very modern holdings in the Netherlands meet the requirements to be granted this much sought bonus. Other countries, such as France and Poland, were insistent that the 42 kg/m² limit be retained.
These new standards affect only holdings of more than 500 chickens. Organic chickens or chickens reared in the open, whose production methods meet very strict requirements, are not included within the scope of the directive. Third countries, like Brazil and Thailand, will be able to continue to export their chickens to the EU without having to meet the new requirements, largely through mass catering.
Council kicks animal welfare labelling into touch
In addition, on 7 May, the Agriculture Council adopted conclusions in which it takes note of the outcome of the conference “Animal Welfare - Improving by Labelling?”, organised by the European Commission and the German presidency in Brussels on 28 March 2007. It says it acknowledges that consumers might appreciate information on the animal welfare conditions under which products of animal origin are obtained, “thereby enabling them to favour higher animal welfare standards through their purchasing decisions”. Member states underline that such a label would have to be “simple, easy to recognise, comprehensible and credible and should not mislead consumers”. Thus they consider that the possible introduction of a label indicating compliance with EU and/or recognised equivalent animal welfare standards, “including the possibility of voluntary animal welfare labelling”, should be evaluated. However, according to the Council, such labelling “should not lead to the deterioration of the functioning of existing labelling schemes requiring inter alia animal welfare standards above statutory requirements”. The Commission is invited to bring forward a report on animal welfare labelling “in order to allow an in-depth debate on this subject”.
Among the other conclusions, the Council invites the Commission, “in due course”, to present a proposal to simplify legislation on seeds and propagating material (plant varieties). (lc)