Brexit presented the UK with an opportunity to lead the way in farm animal welfare, yet despite the previous UK Government promising consultations on caged farming, it failed to deliver.
With a new Secretary of State for Defra now in place, Compassion in World Farming is calling on the UK Government to publish its long overdue consultation on the use of cages for laying hens and take decisive action to ban all caged systems in animal farming.
A new report from Compassion, ‘Food Businesses paving the way for a cage-free Europe’, highlights how leading food companies are driving the shift towards cage-free production. For example, over 200 UK companies have committed to cage-free eggs, with over 75 per cent of UK egg production already cage-free. However, approximately 8 million hens in the UK still endure caged, confined conditions each year – underscoring the urgent need for legislative action.
Compassion says that the government should lead by example by banning all caged production and supporting the industry in its transition to cage-free systems. This move would be supported by 88 per cent of the British public, who believe caged farming is cruel, according to a 2020 YouGov poll.
The call to action extends beyond the UK as Compassion continues to urge the EU Commission to deliver on its promise to ban caged animal farming.
In response to the successful End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative, signed by over 1.4 million EU citizens, the European Commission made a clear and legally-binding commitment to introduce legislative proposals to end caged farming by the end of 2023.
However, just as the last UK government failed to fulfil its farm animal welfare promises, the last Commission failed to present these proposals.
The consensus achieved in the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture is encouraging and we urge the new Commission to adopt the recommendations and deliver the cage ban proposals by 2026 at the latest.
The Strategic Dialogue report shines a spotlight on how major companies, such as Barilla, Carrefour, and Kaufland, are successfully phasing out cages for laying hens, sows and meat rabbits. For instance, pasta and baked goods company, Barilla Group, which operates in over 100 countries, has fully transitioned to using cage-free egg products.
Leonardo Mirone, ESG Leader Sourcing Chains at Barilla Group, said, “Barilla endeavours to ensure that all suppliers of raw materials of animal origin comply not just with legal requirements but also with the highest animal welfare standards and criteria and we proudly achieved our global cage-free goal in 2019. A crucial step forward in supporting and advancing sector-wide transformation would be the introduction of legislation by the European Commission to enforce a ban on cages.”
As in the UK, these companies need the EU to support the transition by creating a level playing field and ensuring fair market competition by delivering on its 2021 commitment to present proposals to phase out cages across the EU.
Dr Tracey Jones, Global Director of Food Business, Compassion in World Farming said, “Scientists are backing the call to end caged systems. Citizens are demanding change. Businesses are proving that large-scale cage-free farming is not only achievable but the right thing to do – for their customers, their brand, and the animals in their supply chain.
“With the future of cages hanging in the balance, producers need clarity on timescales, system requirements and transition support. We urge both the new European Commission and UK Government to deliver on their promises to End the Cage Age, once and for all.”