Italy chided by EU court over battery hens

(ANSA) - Brussels, May 22 - Italy must comply with a 1999 European Union directive establishing minimum standards for the protection of egg laying hens, the Court of Justice ruled on Thursday.
    The ruling came in response to a case brought by the European Commission in 2013 against Rome over its failure to implement a ban on battery cages from January 1, 2012. Under the directive all laying hens are now required to be kept in "enriched cages" measuring at least 750 cm² with extra space to nest, scratch and roost, or in alternative systems. "Having failed to guarantee that laying hens are no longer kept in un-enriched cages, Italy has fallen short of its obligations under European law," wrote the judges, adding that it must now comply with the sentence.