The government of the UK seeks views on a cage ban for laying hens

Published 2024년 4월 3일

Tridge summary

Scotland is considering a ban on the use of cages for laying hens in egg production, with a consultation launched to gather public opinion on phasing out enriched cages. This initiative, announced by farming minister Jim Fairlie, follows a 2020 survey revealing 88% of the public find cage use in farming cruel. Currently, over 1.1 million hens are caged in Scotland, and if the ban goes through, Scotland would become the first UK nation to enact such a measure, aligning with EU efforts to ban cages for all farmed livestock. The consultation aims to highlight the importance of animal welfare and will be open until 25 June 2024.

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Original content

A consultation on banning the use of cages to house laying hens for egg production has launched today in Scotland. Views are sought on phasing out the use of enriched cages, which offered more room to nest, roost, scratch and rest than the previously used battery or barren cages that were banned in the UK in 2012. In 2020 a survey showed that 88% of the British public consider using cages in farming is cruel and 77% of those surveyed supported a complete ban on the use of cages in farming. Over 1.1 million hens were housed in cages in Scotland as of February 2024. If implemented, Scotland would become the first UK nation to ban cages. The EU has put forward legislation to prohibit using cages for all farmed livestock, with Luxembourg and Austria already banning them and others phasing them out. Scotland's farming minister Jim Fairlie said: “We want to improve the welfare of laying hens to ensure their confinement does not negatively impact their normal behaviours. “Significant ...

Source: FarmingUK