The latest figures on EU Member States’ readiness for the ban on sow stalls, due to come into effect on 1 January, reveal that only five States are already fully compliant, including the UK which banned sow stalls in 1999. Unlike the 2012 battery cage ban, there were no measures in place to stop the trade in illegally produced low cost pigmeat. The European Commission has repeatedly said it cannot take action until after 1 January because until then no rules are being broken. It is due to give an update on the situation at the next EU Agriculture Council meeting on 28-29 January.
Figures on the current state of implementation of the partial sow stall ban were distributed at a meeting of the European Commission’s Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) on December 4. They showed:
- 100% compliant: Austria, Estonia, Luxembourg, Sweden, UK
- Over 90% : Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia
- 70- 90%: Denmark (85 per cent), Finland (73) Greece (83), Latvia (82), Malta (75), Poland (80) Slovenia (72), Spain (70)
- Less than 70%: Cyprus (48), Belgium (45), France (33),Germany (48), Ireland (57), Italy (69), Netherlands (63), Portugal (63)
