Czechia has called on the European Commission to submit a proposal to ban the breeding of laying hens in cages across the EU by 2030.
The proposal was made by Czechia’s minister of agriculture, Miroslav Toman, in a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on 21 September.
Toman said that bans by individual states on cage farming would lead to unequal market conditions, putting countries that implement a ban in a position of disadvantage, according to a report in www.zboziaprodej.cz.
Animal Welfare
Czechia also highlighted the need to address imports of eggs from third countries, where producers are not obliged to comply with strict animal welfare requirements.
The proposal was welcomed by the European Commission, as well as Austria, France, Denmark, Sweden and Slovakia.
A week ahead of this meeting, the parliament of Czechia approved a law to phase out the caged breeding of laying hens by 2027.
Toman also urged the state to consider compensation for breeders who have invested ‘significant’ resources to meet existing animal welfare requirements, the report said.
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