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3w ago

European Commission Unveils Strategy to End Cage Housing and Routine Chick Culling

It ties concrete welfare proposals to funding for barn upgrades by tightening import standards to protect farmers from unfair competition.

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Die EU-Kommission hat strengere Tierschutzregeln für Geflügel- und Schweinehalter in Aussicht gestellt. Sie will noch in diesem Jahr ein Gesetz für die Haltung von Legehennen wie Hähnen und im kommenden Jahr eines für Schweine vorschlagen.

Overview

  • The Commission published a comprehensive farm-animal welfare strategy that includes a planned ban on cage housing for laying hens, in-egg sexing to stop routine killing of male day-old chicks, new broiler welfare indicators, and new pig rules in 2027 that aim to phase out sow gestation crates.
  • The measures are formal proposals at an early legislative stage and must still be drafted into laws, negotiated by EU institutions and member states, and implemented before they take effect.
  • The package pairs rules with proposed EU funding to help farmers convert barns and with stricter import requirements so non-EU products meet similar welfare standards and do not undercut domestic producers.
  • Animal-welfare groups such as VGT welcomed funding and import elements but warned the plan leaves gaps, notably the absence of a clear ban on full-slatted floors in pig and cattle housing.
  • Campaigners point to the six-year-old 'End the Cage Age' initiative that gathered 1.4 million signatures and say real change will depend on how fast lawmakers adopt the proposals and how strictly the rules are enforced at the EU border.