# Council Directive 1999/74/EC of 19 July 1999 laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, Article 2

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

1. The definitions in Article 2 of Directive 98/58/EC shall apply where necessary.
2. In addition, the following definitions shall apply for the purpose of this Directive:
(a) ‘laying hens’ means: hens of the species Gallus gallus which have reached laying maturity and are kept for production of eggs not intended for hatching;
(b) ‘nest’ means: a separate space for egg laying, the floor components of which may not include wire mesh that can come into contact with the birds, for an individual hen or for a group of hens (group nest);
(c) ‘litter’ means: any friable material enabling the hens to satisfy their ethological needs;
(d) ‘usable area’ means: an area at least 30 cm wide with a floor slope not exceeding 14 %, with headroom of at least 45 cm. Nesting areas shall not be regarded as usable areas.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/1999/74/article/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-1999-74/article-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.