Maltese hens are all EU-friendly

Malta insists it is fully compliant with EU directives on egg-laying hens and has shrugged off a warning by Health Commissioner John Dalli to 14 countries.

Mr Dalli has threatened the member states in question, including Malta, with legal action if they keep ignoring a directive on the welfare of laying hens.

A government spokesman, however, said Mr Dalli’s infor­mation was wrong, at least in Malta’s case.

“We have already informed the Commission that our situation is compliant with the EU directive, so no infringement should be opened against Malta,” the spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the directive only applied to establishments with 350 or more egg-laying hens.

“All establishments in Malta are in line with the provisions of this directive and the Maltese authorities have offi­cially informed the Commission accordingly,” the spokes­man noted.

The directive stipulates that, from January 1, 2012, hens can only be kept in cages where they have at least 750 square centimetres of living space and a nest or a perch or the ability to roam freely.

The legislation bans conventional battery cages. It seeks to prevent hens being kept in the barest environment where they have a living space no bigger than the area of an A4 sheet of paper.

According to the directive, the eggs from hens kept in conditions deemed illegal may no longer be sold abroad or retailed and may only be used in the processing industry.

Mr Dalli said the EU Executive would start infringement proceedings against France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain – which have yet to implement the directive on the welfare of laying hens.

EU sources said such infringement proceedings could very well be opened on Thursday when the Commission adopted its infringement package.

The sources said the Commission had obtained a list of farms, affecting 51 million laying hens, that were allegedly failing to comply with the new standards.

Malta is expecting the Commission to revise its position.