August 14, 2009

The use of battery cages for layer hens will be banned in the EU as of January 1, 2012, but most poultry producers in Belgium would not be able to make the switch on time, according to Ilka Hertogs, secretary at the Flemish Industry Poultry and Rabbit Producers (Vepek).

The latest Vepek year review showed that 206 out of 345 Belgian layer farms still use cage systems. The farms have a combined number of nine million layers, but over 7.5 million are still kept in cages.

Hertogs said it is partly due to a lack of clarity about future animal welfare regulations, and poultry producers find it difficult to invest in the current poor financial situation and in the years after the bird flu crisis in 2003.

Hertogs said many producers also face the problem that their current poultry houses are relatively new, which does not make new investments logical, and the producers will continue using the current houses.

Layer farmers who attempt to switch are often unlucky with regards to market conditions. Banks are not always keen to supply confirmations and it is often difficult to obtain permits.

Hertogs said they have successfully called for more flexible distance requirements for poultry production, but that does not mean all obstacles have been eliminated.