Summary Description
- Sets minimum animal welfare standards in pork production, including breeding animals, by setting maximum density levels and limiting the length of crates use (gestating and farrowing).
- TopicThe topic of the legislation or policy covered by the text
- AgricultureAnimal welfare
- SpeciesThe animal, or type of food production, covered by the text
- Pigs
- JurisdictionCountry or geographical area where the text applies
- EU
- Sub-jurisdictionCountry or state where the text applies
- EU
- Type of ActWhether the act is a law, regulation, or policy, or another type of text
- Legislation
- StatusIndicates whether the act is in force or not
- In force
- Legal ValueWhether the text is binding or not
- Binding
- Date enactedDate the text was adopted
- 2008
- Date updatedDate when the entry was last updated by the CALF team
- June, 2023
- Official citation
- Council Directive 2008/120 of 18 December 2008 Laying Down Minimum Standards for the Protection of Pigs, 2009 O.J. L 47/5 - 13 (E.U.)
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Strengths
- Covers commercial and breeding animals.
- Has an extra-territorial effect: all piglets entering the EU must have been raised following equivalent standards set in the Directive.
- Establishes animal welfare standards:
- Sets maximum density levels (expressed in kg / m2), and minimum space per individual animal.
- Places a moratorium on the construction of farms on which animals are tethered and bans such a practice as of 2006.
- Sets a minimum of one week of cage-free housing for gestating sows. Such a requirement does not apply to operations with fewer than 10 sows.
- Imposes the provision of enrichment materials.
- Weaknesses
- Allows the use of gestation crates.
- Allows high density levels.
- Allows mutilations (teeth grinding and clipping, tail docking, castration, and nose-ringing).
- The extra-territorial effect of the directive only applies to imported live animals, and does not apply to imported pig meat nor exported live animals.