EU Prohibition of Battery Cages for Egg Laying Hens

That the Parliament notes that the EU-wide prohibition of conventional battery cages for egg-laying hens which is due to come into force in 2012 under EU Council Directive 1999/74 is to be reviewed during 2006; firmly believes that the prohibition should remain in place and should not be repealed or postponed; notes that the report of the Scientific Panel for Animal Health and Welfare of the European Food Safety Authority concludes that the inability of battery hens to engage in their natural behaviours poses a particularly severe threat to their welfare, and urges the Scottish Executive to press Her Majesty’s Government to take the lead in persuading our EU partners that the prohibition of conventional battery cages should neither be repealed nor postponed but should come into force in 2012 as enacted by Council Directive 1999/74.