Scotland ends 12‑week rule for free‑range poultry meat

Scotland has changed how the “free‑range” label on poultry meat works. From 7 November 2025, producers can keep using the label during any mandatory housing order brought in for animal or public health reasons-the old 12‑week cut‑off has been removed. The switch is made by the Free‑Range Poultrymeat Marketing Standards (Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025.

Let’s ground the basics. In normal conditions, free‑range poultry meat means birds have continuous daytime access to open‑air runs. There are named variants: “free range”, “traditional free range”, and “free range - total freedom”, which requires access to runs of unlimited area. These definitions sit in Annex V of Commission Regulation (EC) No 543/2008, carried into UK law.

Why did the 12‑week rule matter? During past avian influenza outbreaks, housing measures sometimes lasted longer than twelve weeks, forcing producers to re‑label meat as indoor‑reared even if the flock otherwise met free‑range rules. The UK Government’s own explanation notes that this created cost and confusion, and set the stage for reform.

What exactly has changed in Scotland’s text? The clause that allowed free‑range labelling during disease restrictions used to place a hard stop after twelve weeks. Scotland’s amendment deletes that time limit and adds the word “temporarily” before “restricting” to make clear that any housing order must be time‑limited. The clause covers birds reared under points (c), (d) and (e) in Annex V, with guinea fowl in percheries still excluded.

For farmers and processors, this is practical: if a lawful housing order is in place, you can keep the free‑range label for the whole period of that order-provided every other free‑range requirement (like outdoor access when permitted, and stocking limits) is still met. That’s the policy aim set out in the joint England‑Scotland consultation outcome.

For shoppers, the change is about timing, not lowering standards. Free‑range rules still require daytime access to open‑air runs in normal circumstances. The label can now stay on during a temporary, legally imposed housing period so you are not seeing meat re‑badged simply because a disease control order ran longer than twelve weeks. The production rules themselves have not been watered down.

Here’s the devolved picture. Marketing standards for poultry meat are a devolved matter. Scotland’s ministers used powers in section 9 of the Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Act 2020, and the regulations went through the Scottish Parliament by affirmative procedure after the required consultation with stakeholders under food law.

What about the rest of the UK? England has a parallel statutory instrument removing the 12‑week limit for poultry meat. In a House of Lords debate on 10 September 2025, ministers also said they expected Wales to bring forward similar changes. If you’re teaching or studying devolution, this is a neat live example of how each nation updates the same retained framework at its own pace.

Eggs are separate. Scotland already removed the 16‑week rule for free‑range eggs in November 2024, so egg packs could keep the free‑range mark during temporary housing orders too. It’s easy to mix these up-eggs and poultry meat sit in different EU‑derived regulations, hence the staggered timelines.

Quick recap for learners: free‑range on poultry meat still means birds go outdoors in normal times; Scotland has simply scrapped the old stopwatch during official housing orders. When those orders lift, outdoor access must resume for the label to remain accurate. This change is now in force in Scotland and aligns with the broad UK policy direction signalled earlier this year.