Today, a report on official controls linked to the protection of the welfare of laying hens at every stage of production was published by DG SANTE.

This report presents the outcome of a project undertaken in 2021 which assessed official controls linked to the protection of the welfare of laying hens at all the stages of production in the European Union. Audits were carried out in nine Member States and questionnaires were sent to another sixteen, providing an overview of such controls and highlighting good practices while also identifying common challenges faced in the sector.

The report concluded that current national official controls do in fact ensure the overall implementation of EU requirements in Member States. It also points out that some Member States have introduced added requirements which went beyond the EU’s tight controls resulting in welfare protection for laying hens varying across the EU from one Member State to another. These additional national provisions allowed laying hens to enjoy better conditions and overall better well-being, potentially creating an uneven playing field for producers throughout the EU.

In addition, the report identified that the absence of specific welfare requirements for younger hens (chicks and pullets) leads to low number of welfare controls in hatcheries and pullet farms.

Findings of the report will feed into the Commission’s on-going work to revise the legislation on animal welfare.

More information on the report can be found here:

• Food Audits and Analysis | Food Safety (europa.eu)