KAT Criteria

KAT is working to ensure that the prescribed standards are adhered to and consistently applied in all member countries. As a basic principle, stricter rules apply to KAT participants than are set down in the EU regulations and guidelines.

For Hatcheries/Rearing farms

The chicks come from KAT-approved hatcheries.

Conditioning to the subsequent form of egg production in the laying hen farm

Analogous housing regulations for the rearing of males as well as a minimum rearing period and the attainment of a minimum weight.

Declaration of the animals in the KAT database.

For Laying farms

Stamping of eggs at laying egg farm, sourcing of hen feed only from certified feedstuff producer.

Declaration of feedstuff supply relationships (feedstuff quantities/feedstuff supplier) must be made in the KAT database.

Guarantee of Outside Ranging

Due to problems which have arisen in the past as a result of official orders to keep hens inside during migrations of wild birds, the decision was made in 2006 to introduce a obligaroty conservatory (cold scratching area) for KAT system participants with the following requirements:

  • A conservatory of size 50% of the hen house interior area readily available to the birds (the animal area in the hen house) is obligatory.

  • The conservatory should have a ceiling height of at least 2m and a windbreak net whose perforations allow continual permeability to light and air. The height of the windbreak net should be at least 70% of the height of the exterior wall of the conservatory.

  • The conservatory must be a separate space in the hen house building, protected from the weather but permeable to the external climate, and must be roofed over and constructed in such a way that the entry of wild birds is not possible.

  • The conservatory can count towards the usable space under certain conditions.

For Packing Stations

For packing stations, which supply food retailers, a certification from IFS Food or IFS Wholesale Cash & Carry is required.

Further information at: www.ifs-certification.com

For Egg Product Producers / Food Industry

Following the ban on conventional battery cage rearing in Europe at the end of 2012, eggs from alternative rearing methods are gaining in significance in the production of egg products, and are in increasing demand from food retailers and the food industry. On the part of the egg industry, a clear division and identification of egg products which are manufactured from eggs from alternative rearing methods is required.

In order to be able to prove the actual origin of eggs supplied for egg products and food production, KAT has enhanced its database-supported monitoring system to capture quantitative data from the processing of eggs into egg products.

KAT egg products may only be manufactured using eggs which are exclusively from KAT-certified egg farms. That is, only KAT eggs may be used to manufacture KAT egg products. Only in this way is it possible to guarantee their origin across all stages of the complete process chain, from laying farm through egg product factory to the food industry. The endorsement of egg products, and foods manufactured from these, with the label "Origin of eggs – controlled by KAT" is only possible if this guarantee is provided.

For Feedstuff Producers

In the manufacture of feed for laying hens, special requirements apply to compound feed producers, for example:

  • Only those raw materials / individual feed materials may be used which are on the approved list of the Standards Commission for Straight Feeding Stuffs.

  • Listing of All used raw materials and additives in the KAT database

  • Analyses of the prepared feed must be carried out to check for undesirable materials

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