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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 10th January 2012
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EU Commission launches legal proceedings
Fourteen states sued over battery cage egg ban.

The European Commission has announced that it will be bringing legal proceedings against fourteen member states in the coming weeks in response to their failure to enforce the EU-wide battery cage egg ban. EU Inspection Teams will be visiting all member states to collect evidence of non-compliance with legislation to support legal action and subsequent fines.

EU Health Commissioner John Dalli informed Ministers by letter in November that infringement proceedings would be launched against any country which failed to meet the January 1st2012 deadline to convert all conventional battery cages into improved 'enriched' cages or better. Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain have all failed to meet the deadline.

The Commission's latest figures record that 46.7 million hens are still in conventional battery cages across Europe in spite of the ban. This constitutes 14 per cent of the Continent's entire flock.

UK farmers have objected to the trading advantage that non-compliance confers. Commenting on the news, Katy Lee, spokesman for UK farming unions in Brussels urged the Commission to act said “In good faith the UK poultry industry has fully complied with the new laws on the welfare of laying hens and now we are told 14 Member States have failed to meet the deadline. This is unacceptable.”

“We are pleased the Commission has begun legal proceedings against non-compliant Member States although it does feel like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. It is now essential that the Commission wastes no time in stamping out the illegal production and enforces large enough fines to discourage a similar scenario in the future.”

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

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News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.