The legal foundations for chicken husbandry in the European Union are Directive 1999/74/EC (laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens), Directive 98/58/EC (the protection of animals kept for farming purposes) and Directive 2007/43/EC (laying down minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production). According to Directive 1999/74/EC, the use of unenriched cage systems will be illegal as from 2012. In Germany and some other member states, conventional cage systems are banned from January 2009. Throughout the EU, corresponding to Directive 2007/43/EC, the stocking density for broiler husbandry will be 33.kg/m2 from 30th July 2010 onward. However, the new Directive allows, under compliance of additional obligations, a stocking density of 39 kg/m2 and. 42 kg/m2 respectively.