Animal welfare requirements in the EU for the protection of calves and laying hens kept in battery cages

The authors review the EU directives concerning the protection of calves an d the protection of laying hens kept in battery cages. In Hungary the Protection and Human Treatment of Animals Act (1998) authori ses the minister of agriculture and regional development to determine the s pecial rules for the keeping of farm animals. During the codification of the ministerial decree it is important to have d ue regard to the EU regulations in force, as - in accordance with the Europ ean Agreement - the Hungarian rules should be compatible with the EU provis ions. The aim of the authors is to give a basis for veterinarians, animal keepers and competent authorities for preparing to comply with the requirements as soon as possible, until the detailed Hungarian regulations are laid down. On the basis of the result of their comprehensive assessment of the holding s (the detailed results of the survey will be published later), compliance with the EU provisions for the protection of calves is not a problem and co mpliance with the EU provisions in force for the protection of laying hens kept in battery cages can be solved with administrative measures.