On 27 July 1998 new regulations came into force in the UK on the husbandry and welfare of calves. These implement EU Council Directive 91/629/EEC, as amended by Directive 97/2/EC, (laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves). Under the new law, calves older than 8 weeks must be kept in groups, unless isolated for veterinary reasons. Furthermore, those kept in individual stalls prior to this age must be able to have direct visual and tactile contact with at least one other calf through perforations in the walls of their stalls. To allow time for changes in housing, these rules will not apply for 5 years to accommodation that was in use on 1 January 1998. Minimum space allowances are also defined both for individual stalls and for group pens.