Wales removes 12-week limit on free-range poultry meat
If you teach food policy or you’re a curious shopper, this is a useful case study. Wales has updated what counts as “free‑range” for poultry meat during disease outbreaks, so the label can stay on even if birds are kept indoors for a while to stop infection spreading.
What’s changed is simple: the old rule capped the “free‑range” label at 12 weeks once birds were temporarily housed for public or animal health. The new Welsh regulations remove that cap. From 21 November 2025, poultry meat can keep the free‑range label for the full length of any mandatory housing period in Wales. This follows the Welsh Statutory Instrument made on 22 October 2025 (published on legislation.gov.uk).
Normally, “free‑range” in law means birds are reared to specific standards and have daytime access to open‑air runs with vegetation. Those standards are set in retained EU law (Commission Regulation 543/2008) and appear on packs as the farming method. Until now, there was a time‑limited grace period when housing orders applied. Welsh ministers have now removed that time limit for poultry meat.
In practical terms, the wording in Annex V of the retained regulation-previously interpreted as a 12‑week stop‑clock-no longer forces a mid‑season relabel in Wales. If housing is ordered to protect flock health, producers who meet all other free‑range conditions may continue to market meat as free‑range for the duration of that order.
Why make the change? Recent avian influenza seasons show housing orders can last well beyond 12 weeks. The Welsh Government notes 364 confirmed HPAI cases across Great Britain since October 2021, with 8.8 million birds culled for disease control in that period. Short, fixed derogations created confusion for consumers and uncertainty for producers.
It also aligns policy across products. Wales already removed the equivalent 16‑week limit for free‑range eggs in February 2025, so egg packs needn’t flip to “barn” mid‑outbreak. Extending the same logic to poultry meat keeps messaging consistent for pupils, parents and shoppers learning how labels work.
If you’re comparing nations, England has legislated to remove the 12‑week cap for poultry meat, and Scotland has set out plans to do the same. UK ministers also told Parliament the EU is introducing a similar change, which would apply in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework-part of the reason governments talk about a “level playing field.”
For classrooms and families, here’s the takeaway: if a housing order is in place, free‑range poultry meat in Wales can still be labelled free‑range. That doesn’t mean lower food safety standards-marketing rules sit apart from hygiene law-and all other free‑range requirements still apply.
Who decides when housing is needed? The Chief Veterinary Officer advises ministers when disease risk is high. If housing is introduced, governments say retailers and the industry will be encouraged to display clear notices so shoppers know what’s happening and why birds are indoors.
For producers, the change cuts costs from relabelling and helps preserve the price premium for systems they continue to run, even while birds are temporarily housed. It also matters for slower‑growing birds like geese, ducks and Christmas turkeys, where production can exceed 12 weeks.
Process matters too. The Welsh Government consulted publicly, laid the draft before the Senedd and then made the regulations-mirroring the approach used for eggs earlier in 2025. As with those egg rules, officials prepared an impact assessment, published by the Welsh Government. This is a neat procedural example for civic literacy lessons.
What to watch next: if future housing orders are declared, expect labels to remain consistent, with point‑of‑sale explanations in shops. For students, this is a live example of how risk management, trade alignment and consumer information interact-and how clear language can reduce confusion when health rules temporarily change.