Robert Sturdy

Strasbourg, 16th November 2011 – Robert Sturdy, MEP for the East of England, has welcomed EU Health Commissioner John Dali’s statement about the ongoing fiasco surrounding the January 2012 ban on battery cages from laying hens.

In a meeting of national farming ministers earlier this week, Commissioner Dali outlined the Commission’s plan to send out warning letters to the 11 member-states, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Romania, that have yet to fully implement the ban, calling on them to update the Commission on the status of their preparations for the pending ban.

Mr. Dali also noted that the Commission remains fully committed to the ban and indicated that the Commission is poised to launch infringement proceedings from January 2012 against those member-states which have failed to comply with the ban in time.

According to current figures, EU officials estimate that there will be some 51 million hens held in illegal battery cages when the laying hens directive enters into force at the beginning of next year.

Robert Sturdy speaking inStrasbourgafter the event was cautiously optimistic about the statement:

‘Although I welcome the news that the Commission is finally coming to terms with the scale of the problem, I fear that the number of member-states not fully compliant and the number of eggs being produced from illegal cages will be too big a task for the Commission to handle.’

‘I have been very critical of the way in which the Commission has handled this mess but some of the blame certainly falls at the feet of the non-compliant national governments. Both have had 12 years to get their houses in order and have failed miserably. UK farmers on the other hand should be praised for their efficiency in implementing the directive.’

‘It is imperative that the EU finds a solution to this problem and ensures that those farmers that have implemented the directive do not face a competitive disadvantage from cheaper, less animal friendly eggs from non-compliant countries’

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For further information contact: Robert Sturdy MEP– robert.sturdy@europarl.europa.eu

Tel: 01954 211790 or 0032 2284 7294

or visit

robertsturdymep.com