February 23, 2010

EU urged to stand firm on hen cage ban

Eurogroup for Animals is urging EU agriculture ministers to reject the proposal to postpone the 2012 ban on conventional battery cages for laying hens by five years as recently requested by Poland.

There is no reason for delaying the ban as the 1999 legislation provided for a transition period of 12 and a half years, allowing producers to spread their capital investments for the removal of battery cages over a number of years, said Eurogroup for Animals.

The decision to ban the use of conventional battery cages for egg laying hens came after years of campaigning by animal welfare groups and overwhelming scientific evidence that chickens suffer in these conditions. Cramped in wire cages with each hen having only the room of an A4 sheet, they are unable to perform normal behaviour, stretch their wings, dust bathe and move around freely.

Sonja Van Tichelen, Director of Eurogroup for Animals, said some egg producers have deliberately waited to change their systems hoping that the EU would change its mind. The director said allowing the farmers to continue using battery cages would seriously undermine the credibility of EU legislation, and would distort competition and penalise producers who have already invested and improved the welfare of their hens.

In many countries, the retail sector has already opted to follow consumer preference for good animal welfare standards and no longer sells eggs from battery cages. This change is happening much earlier than the legal date of the entry into force of the ban and as a result the demand for eggs produced in free range systems is growing.

The new EU Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos, has already stated that the proposed start date of the ban will be maintained.