Protection of animals: laying hens in systems of rearing (repl. direct. 88/166/EEC). Communication included

The Parliament adopted the legislative report by Heinz Kindermann (D, PES), which approves the Commission's proposal with amendments, relating, most notably, to the following areas: - prohibiting the use of battery cages from 1st January 2009; - proposing the introduction of an additional aid system for adaptation to the new required standards which is not dependent on production; - mandatory labelling for egg products as well as table eggs; - in the event of EU enlargement, making provision for the application of these rules in the applicant countries; - ensuring accordance of eggs used in egg products imported from outside the Community with the Community's own minimum standards for the protection of laying hens; - allowing beak-trimming to continue until less aggressive strains of laying hens have been bred; - providing further specification of nesting requirements; - allowing a stocking density of no more than 20 hens per square metre; - requiring a minimum of 800 cm sq of cage area for each hen; - making on-the-spot checks by veterinary experts a requirement; - requiring the Commission to make regular reports to the Council and the European Parliament on the results of veterinary inspections; - applying the same welfare, veterinary and hygiene standards to imports from third countries as within the Community; - requiring the Commission to make proposals, not later than 1st January 2008, for encouraging the adoption of alternative free range systems of rearing; - extending safety requirements as regards insulation, heating and ventilation of the building beyond protection of the birds to protection of the people working there; - specifying that lighting strength must be at least 20 Lux, measured at the eye-level of the birds.�