April 1, 2011
 

EU poultry producers must finalise traditional cage substitute

EU poultry producers using traditional cages for layers have only a few months left to confirm whether to spend money on a new enriched colony or free-range equipment, or get ready to quit the sector before next year's ban.

The ban on conventional cages comes into effect on January 1, 2012 and according to poultry specialist, Justin Emery of ADAS, the clock is ticking. A refit of existing laying hen accommodation is likely to take around six months, therefore, producers only have until mid-summer to make their final decisions.

"It has been a very frustrating time for producers," Emery said. "EU confirmation of what the new regulation would entail was released relatively late (2008), and there is still concern over how it will be interpreted by inspectors on-farm."

The new EU Directive for laying hens demands a minimum space allowance of 750 square centimetres a bird, of which 600 square centimetres must be usable. Unusable areas, which are deducted from the overall colony accommodation footprint, include nest boxes and elevated areas used for scratch baths. Areas with a head height of under 20cm are also invalid, according to the guidelines.

"The concern for producers is budgeting how many birds can be accommodated within a colony system and this is dependent on how the rules are interpreted," explained Emery.

"Research in 2009 suggested typical costs were GBP15-25 (US$24-40) a hen to install colony equipment, depending on design and quality, compared with GBP22 (US$35.25) a hen for a free-range system with a population of nine hens a square metre or GBP18-22 (US$28-35) a hen with a population of 15 hens a square metre.

The level of investment is considerable, especially as many producer' margins are currently being squeezed by high feed prices."