Scottish Ministers have signed off regulations that remove the 12‑week time limit on using “free‑range” labels for poultry meat when birds are kept indoors under temporary disease controls. The instrument was made on 6 November 2025 and took effect on 7 November, listed by legislation.gov.uk as SSI 2025/338. For producers and supermarkets, that means label continuity through any extended housing orders this winter.

What changed is precise but commercially meaningful. Annex V of Commission Regulation 543/2008 previously allowed free‑range claims to continue during veterinary restrictions, but “under no circumstances for more than 12 weeks”. Scotland’s amendment removes that cap and clarifies that access can be “temporarily” restricted without forcing a label downgrade-aligning the rule with how outbreaks have actually unfolded since 2022. Defra and the Scottish Government flagged this exact change in their joint consultation outcome.

The shift won’t move the dial for standard broiler chickens, which are slaughtered before the old threshold. The upside lands with higher‑value, longer‑cycle birds-think turkeys, ducks and geese-where a winter housing order could previously push meat into non‑free‑range packaging mid‑season. Ministers told the House of Lords in September that this is where the benefit concentrates.

For processors and retailers, the operational win is fewer packaging changeovers, less write‑off and steadier product specs across long bookings. Defra has pitched the reform as reducing avoidable costs and preserving consumer confidence when veterinary advice requires birds to be housed-familiar territory after prolonged avian influenza controls in recent winters. Expect less last‑minute scrambling to source “indoor” outer cases if housing runs beyond three months.

The UK picture is converging. England has introduced equivalent regulations via The Free‑Range Poultrymeat Marketing Standards (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2025, which were laid in July and debated in September. Wales has tabled its own draft for Senedd approval, with ministers aiming to mirror the same removal of the 12‑week derogation. Supply chains that span Carlisle to Cardiff should still plan for short‑term divergence until the Welsh measure is finalised.

Consumer messaging matters. The joint Defra–Scottish Government response recommends clear point‑of‑sale notices when housing measures are in force, so shoppers understand why a free‑range bird may have been temporarily kept indoors. That guidance helps preserve trust in the label without forcing wholesale relabelling or recipe reapprovals across retailer systems.

Europe is moving in a similar direction on eggs and may follow on meat. The EU has already updated egg marketing standards so free‑range eggs can retain their label during temporary Union‑mandated restrictions, without a fixed time limit. Scotland pre‑empted that in 2024 by removing the 16‑week cap for eggs. On poultry meat, UK ministers told peers the EU is introducing a comparable change-useful context for Northern Ireland trade under the Windsor Framework.

Disease risk remains the backdrop. Scotland has operated an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone during 2025, tightening biosecurity while keeping housing under review. Earlier in the year, a confirmed HPAI case in Angus prompted local restrictions. The new rule is designed for exactly these periods: it preserves label integrity while veterinary measures do their job.

What to watch next: retailers should align specs and artwork notes to reflect the Scottish change, ensure store communications are ready if housing is declared, and keep an eye on the Welsh vote. For cross‑border suppliers, this is largely a simplification-fewer split SKUs and cleaner forecasting through peak turkey season-provided the remaining pieces fall into place across GB.