Eighteen EU member states ready for sow stall ban
Eighteen EU member states have now announced that they will be fully compliant with the partial ban of sow stalls by 1 January 2013.
The news was announced at a meeting of the EU agriculture ministers in Luxembourg earlier this week.
Out of the 18 member states Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium have all told the European Commission that their industries will be fully compliant with the ban by the end of 2012. However, Poland expects to have only 94% of its industry free of sow stalls by 1 January 2013.
As well as Poland, only 95% of Austrian holdings are expected to be compliant by the deadline, with 93% of Finnish and Greek holdings and 95% of Slovenian holdings.
The European Commission will update the EU Agricultural Council on the predicted state of implementation by 31 December 2012.
