2120 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

APPENDIX 1: MEMBER STATE REPORTS Stocking density: typical UK free range and barn systems operate a stocking density of 11.7birds per m 2 (inside) and are allowed to continue to do so (subject to being in production priorto August 1999) until the beginning of 2012. The EU Directive requires a stocking density of 9birds/m 2 from the beginning of 2007.However, the UK Lion Quality Scheme covers more than 80% of UK egg production (a greaterproportion of free range) and this has a number of additional requirements. The main features are asfollows:registration of breeding farms, hatcheries, pullet rearing and laying farms, packing centres andfeed mills;all pullets must be vaccinated against S. Enteritidis;strict bio-security for farms;full traceability of flocks, feed and eggs;maximum best before date 21 days after packing;Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP);six monthly Self Audit and 100% independent inspection;all feed produced to UK Agricultural Supply Trade Association Feed Assurance Scheme;outdoor stocking density for free range systems of 1,000 birds per hectare rather than the EUrequirement of 2,500 birds per hectare 142 .The evolution of the use of different production systems in the UK between 1990 and 2001 ispresented in Table A1.126 and Figure A1.84 below. The steady growth of the free range sector,fuelled by consumer demand and the relative price difference compared to caged eggs, can be clearlyseen as the share of this sector increased from 5% to 27% over the period. This increase inimportance is the result of both an absolute increase in the number of laying hens in free rangesystems and also the general decrease in the number of laying hens (30% over the period) clearlydepicted in Figure A1.85. This decline reflects to some extent the continuing impact of thesalmonella crisis.142 This is also the case under the RSPCA Freedom Foods scheme.317