Annexes to COM(2005)221 - Minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production

Please note

This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

dossier COM(2005)221 - Minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production.
document COM(2005)221 EN
date June 28, 2007
ANNEX I

REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO HOLDINGS

In addition to the relevant provisions of other relevant Community legislation, the following requirements shall apply:

Drinkers

1.Drinkers shall be positioned and maintained in such a way that spillage is minimised.

Feeding

2.Feed shall be either continuously available or be meal fed and must not be withdrawn from chickens more than 12 hours before the expected slaughter time.

Litter

3.All chickens shall have permanent access to litter which is dry and friable on the surface.

Ventilation and heating

4.Ventilation shall be sufficient to avoid overheating and, where necessary, in combination with heating systems to remove excessive moisture.

Noise

5.The sound level shall be minimised. Ventilation fans, feeding machinery or other equipment shall be constructed, placed, operated and maintained in such a way that they cause the least possible amount of noise.

Light

6.All buildings shall have lighting with an intensity of at least 20 lux during the lighting periods, measured at bird eye level and illuminating at least 80 % of the useable area. A temporary reduction in the lighting level may be allowed when necessary following veterinary advice.

7.Within seven days from the time when the chickens are placed in the building and until three days before the foreseen time of slaughter, the lighting must follow a 24-hour rhythm and include periods of darkness lasting at least six hours in total, with at least one uninterrupted period of darkness of at least four hours, excluding dimming periods.

Inspection

8.All chickens kept on the holding must be inspected at least twice a day. Special attention should be paid to signs indicating a reduced level of animal welfare and/or animal health.

9.Chickens that are seriously injured or show evident signs of health disorder, such as those having difficulties in walking, severe ascites or severe malformations, and are likely to suffer, shall receive appropriate treatment or be culled immediately. A veterinarian shall be contacted whenever necessary.

Cleaning

10.Those parts of buildings, equipment or utensils which are in contact with the chickens shall be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every time after final depopulation is carried out, before a new flock is introduced into the house. After the final depopulation of a house, all litter must be removed, and clean litter must be provided.

Record keeping

11.The owner or keeper shall maintain a record for each house of a holding of:

(a)the number of chickens introduced;

(b)the useable area;

(c)the hybrid or breed of the chickens, if known;

(d)by each control, the number of birds found dead with an indication of the causes, if known as well as the number of birds culled with cause;

(e)the number of chickens remaining in the flock following the removal of chickens for sale or for slaughter.

Those records shall be retained for a period of at least three years and shall be made available to the competent authority when carrying out an inspection or when otherwise requested.

Surgical interventions

12.All surgical interventions carried out for reasons other than therapeutic or diagnostic purposes which result in damage to or the loss of a sensitive part of the body or the alteration of bone structure shall be prohibited.

However, beak trimming may be authorised by Member States when other measures to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism are exhausted. In such cases, it shall be carried out only after consultation and on the advice of a veterinarian and shall be carried out by qualified staff on chickens that are less than 10 days old. In addition, Member States may authorise the castration of chickens. The castration shall only be carried out under veterinary supervision by personnel who have received a specific training.


ANNEX II

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE USE OF HIGHER STOCKING DENSITIES

Notification and documentation

The following requirements shall apply:

1.The owner or keeper shall communicate to the competent authority his intention to use a stocking density of more than 33 kg/m2 live weight.

He shall indicate the exact figure and inform the competent authority of any change in the stocking density at least 15 days prior to the placement of the flock in the house.

If requested by the competent authority, that notification shall be accompanied by a document summarising the information contained in the documentation required under point 2.

2.The owner or keeper shall maintain and have available in the house compiled documentation describing in detail the production systems. In particular it shall include information on technical details of the house and its equipment such as:

(a)a plan of the house including the dimensions of the surfaces occupied by the chickens;

(b)ventilation and, if relevant, cooling and heating system, including their location, a ventilation plan, detailing target air quality parameters, such as airflow, air speed and temperature;

(c)feeding and watering systems and their location;

(d)alarm systems and backup systems in the event of a failure of any automated or mechanical equipment essential for the health and well-being of the animals;

(e)floor type and litter normally used.

The documentation shall be made available to the competent authority on request and shall be kept updated. In particular, technical inspections of the ventilation and alarm system shall be recorded.

The owner or keeper shall communicate to the competent authority any changes to the described house, equipment or procedures which are likely to influence the welfare of the birds without undue delay.

Requirements for the holdings — control of environment parameters

3.The owner or keeper shall ensure that each house of a holding is equipped with ventilation and, if necessary, heating and cooling systems designed, constructed and operated in such a way that:

(a)the concentration of ammonia (NH3) does not exceed 20 ppm and the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) does not exceed 3 000 ppm measured at the level of the chickens’ heads;

(b)the inside temperature, when the outside temperature measured in the shade exceeds 30 °C, does not exceed this outside temperature by more than 3 °C;

(c)the average relative humidity measured inside the house during 48 hours does not exceed 70 % when the outside temperature is below 10 °C.


ANNEX III

MONITORING AND FOLLOW-UP AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

(as referred to in Article 3(1))

1. Mortality

1.1.In the case of stocking densities higher than 33 kg/m2, the documentation accompanying the flock shall include the daily mortality rate and the cumulative daily mortality rate calculated by the owner or keeper and the hybrid or breed of the chickens.

1.2.Under the supervision of the official veterinarian these data as well as the number of broilers dead on arrival shall be recorded, indicating the holding and the house of the holding. The plausibility of the data and of the cumulative daily mortality rate shall be checked taking into account the number of broilers slaughtered and the number of broilers dead on arrival at the slaughterhouse.

2. Post-mortem inspection

In the context of the controls performed under the Regulation (EC) No 854/2004, the official veterinarian shall evaluate the results of the post-mortem inspection to identify other possible indications of poor welfare conditions such as abnormal levels of contact dermatitis, parasitism and systemic illness in the holding or the unit of the house of the holding of origin.

3. Communication of results

If the mortality rate as referred to in paragraph 1 or the results of the post-mortem inspection as referred to in paragraph 2 are consistent with poor animal welfare conditions, the official veterinarian shall communicate the data to the owner or keeper of the animals and to the competent authority. Appropriate actions shall be taken by the owner or the keeper of the animals and by the competent authority.


ANNEX IV

TRAINING

The training courses referred to in Article 4(2) shall at least cover Community legislation concerning the protection of chickens and in particular the following matters:

(a)Annexes I and II;

(b)physiology, in particular drinking and feeding needs, animal behaviour and the concept of stress;

(c)the practical aspects of the careful handling of chickens, and catching, loading and transport;

(d)emergency care for chickens, emergency killing and culling;

(e)preventive biosecurity measures.


ANNEX V

CRITERIA FOR THE USE OF INCREASED STOCKING DENSITY

(as referred to in Article 3(5))

1. Criteria

(a)the monitoring of the holding carried out by the competent authority within the last two years did not reveal any deficiencies with respect to the requirements of this Directive, and

(b)the monitoring by the owner or keeper of the holding is carried out using the guides to good management practice referred to in Article 8, and

(c)in at least seven consecutive, subsequently checked flocks from a house the cumulative daily mortality rate was below 1 % + 0,06 % multiplied by the slaughter age of the flock in days.

If no monitoring of the holding was carried out by the competent authority within the last two years, at least one monitoring exercise has to be carried out to check whether requirement (a) is fulfilled.

2. Exceptional circumstances

By the way of derogation from 1(c), the competent authority may decide to increase the stocking density when the owner or keeper has provided sufficient explanation for the exceptional nature of a higher daily cumulative mortality rate or has shown that the causes lie beyond his sphere of control.