ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��

What are best practices regarding husbandry of pullets and adult laying hens in cage-free systems (in barn, free range and organic)? And how can the transition to cage-free systems for laying hens in the EU – confirmed by the European Commission on 30 June 2021 – be supported? The project Best Practice Hens, led by researchers from Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��’s faculty of Veterinary Medicine, will address these questions.

The project aims to contribute to a sustainable transition towards cage-free housing of laying hens in Europe, which should lead to improved animal welfare, farmer income and overall sustainability. It will last for two years and started in May 2021. In the first year, best practices will be formulated for keeping pullets and laying hens in cage-free systems. Input for these best practices will be collected through four case studies in countries with high percentages of birds kept in cage-free systems (The Netherlands, Germany, France and Denmark). 

Additionally, information on the specific situation in four target countries that are still in transition (Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Poland) will be collected to better adapt best practices to their local conditions. Apart from management and housing aspects, specific focus will be given to animal welfare monitoring, economic and sustainability aspects. 

Roadmap towards a successful transition

In the second year of the project, the best practices and the roadmap towards a successful transition will be presented in the four target countries (Spain, Poland, Portugal and Belgium) and at a large, international producer meeting in Brussels, Belgium. During the project, specific circumstances in the target countries that may support or hinder the transition towards cage-free systems will be taken into account. Stakeholders from the egg industry, European farmers’ organisations and NGO’s will be involved in the project from the beginning and represented through a Stakeholder Advisory Board , to collect their input on the best practices and to make sure that the advice given is relevant and supports the transition towards cage-free systems.

Best Practice Hens is led by Prof. Bas Rodenburg, Professor in Animal Welfare at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��. He is leading a strong, international team of experts in laying hen housing and welfare. The main aim of the project is to make knowledge on successfully keeping laying hens in cage-free systems available and accessible across the EU, and to support the transition from cage systems to cage-free systems. As Bas Rodenburg indicates: “I am very happy that we can contribute to a successful transition to cage-free systems for laying hens in the EU. We are also looking forward to collaborate with stakeholders and experts across the laying hen production chain to formulate relevant best practices and develop materials that support the transition in practice.” Interested stakeholders are welcome to contact the project team to become involved in the project.

Project information

Best Practice Hens is a tender project, managed by the European Commission (Service Contract SANTE/2020/OP/0002-2020/G5/051) with a duration of 2 years, ending in May 2023. The consortium consists of 7 partners and 2 subcontractors representing a total of 5 countries. Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� (leader; NL), Wageningen ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� & Research (NL), the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ILVO (BE), Aarhus ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� (DK), Neiker (ES), the Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PL) and Ecovalia (ES). AviVet (NL) and Kipdip (PL) are involved as subcontractors.
For more information, please visit the project website