Scotland’s consultation on banning the use of cages for egg production
Blog
Imagine a world where hens aren't trapped in tiny cages, unable to enjoy sunlight or do what comes naturally. Instead, they're free to move around and be themselves, without the suffering and cruelty that comes with battery farming.
This is the vision driving Scotland's latest initiative – a consultation on banning cage use in egg production.
On 2 April 2024, the Scottish Government launched a consultation, inviting residents to shape the future of egg farming in Scotland by giving their feedback on the policy proposal that would put in place a 2030 ban on the instalment of new cages leading to a 2034 ban on enriched cage production.
This would be a first in the UK.
Have your say
The Scottish Government is launching a consultation on banning the use of cages for egg production. You can feedback on the consultation by taking some steps described further down.
Core elements of the policy proposal (as taken from the Government website):
- From 2030, a ban on the building or bringing into service for the first time any enriched cage system for the keeping of laying hens (including those in establishments with fewer than 350 birds), pullets (hens that are less than a year old and have started to lay eggs) and breeder layers;
- From 2030, a ban on the use of existing (barren) and enriched cages for the keeping of laying hens in establishments with fewer than 350 birds, pullets and breeder layer birds, and;
- From 2034, a ban on the use of existing enriched cages for the keeping of laying hens (including those in establishments with fewer than 350 birds), pullets and breeder layer birds.
How do you feedback on the consultation?
Go to the Government website where you will be asked to “Begin consultation”. You will be asked to answer a series of questions on several topics, including on animal welfare, but you are not required to answer them all, only those you would like to respond to.
Here are a few suggested key messages which you may like to submit as part of your comments in the Animal Welfare section:
- Enriched cages force hens to be imprisoned their entire lives in spaces no bigger than the size of an A4 piece of paper.
- Caged hens have no control over their lives, experience extreme frustration, are severely restricted in their movement, and are prevented from performing almost all natural behaviours such as flapping their wings and stretching.
- To prevent feather pecking and cannibalism, caged hens often have their beaks trimmed which is extremely painful and can cause long-term health issues, such as chronic pain and difficulty eating.
- These horrendous conditions cause severe health and welfare compromises, preventing animals from experiencing a life worth living.
- Good hen welfare must be at the heart of any egg production system. Cage-free hens can move freely and engage in natural behaviours, such as perching, dust bathing, and foraging.
Consultations like this one are vitally important opportunities for us to feed into the policy-making process, and these changes will only pass if we demonstrate an overwhelming level of public support for this ban.
It is time to end the use of cages which restrict the natural behaviours and cause great suffering for egg-laying hens.
This is urgent. It’s time to end cruelty to animals in factory farming.
No Future for Factory Farming