Minimum criteria to be met by poultry enterprises producing egg as referred to in Article 18 (1) (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e).
(a) Eggs in small packs bearing the words Free range eggs' must be produced in
poultry enterprises in which:
- hens have continuous daytime access to open-air runs.
- the ground to which hens have access is mainly covered with vegetation.
- the maximum stocking density is not greater than 1000 hens per hectare of ground available to the hens or one hen per 10 mē.
- the interior of the building must satisfy the conditions specified in (c) or (d).
(b) Eggs in small packs bearing the words Semi-intensive eggs' must be produced in poultry enterprises in which:
- hens have continuous daytime access to open-air runs,
- the ground to which hens have access is mainly covered with vegetation,
- the maximum stocking density is not greater than 4000 hens per hectare of the ground available to the hens or one hen per 2.5 mē,
- the interior of the building must satisfy the conditions specified in (c) or (d).
(c) Eggs in small packs bearing the words Deep litter eggs' must be produced in poultry enterprises in which:
- the maximum stocking density is not greater than seven hens per square metre of floor space available to the hens.
- at least a third of this floor area is covered with a litter material such as straw, wood shaving, sand or turf.
a sufficiently large part of the floor area available to the hens is used for the collection of bird droppings.
(d) Eggs in small packs bearing the words Perchery eggs (Barn eggs)' must be produced in poultry enterprises in which:
- the maximum stocking density is no greater than 25 hens per square metre of floor space available to the hens,
- the interior of the building is fitted with perches of a length sufficient to ensure at least 15 cm of perch space for each hen.
(e) Eggs in small packs bearing the words "Eggs from caged hens" must be produced in poultry enterprises in which is used the "Battery system" provided for in Council Directive 88/166/EEC.