UK: Defra consults on plans to phase out laying hen cages by 2032
Enriched ‘colony’ cage eggs supply just over 20% of the UK shell egg production. With up to 80 birds in each cage, the space for individual birds is no bigger than an A4 sheet of paper, Defra said.
It pointed out that UK’s leading retailers are already committed to not selling eggs produced from cage systems and said the proposals are "in line with widespread best practice and public opinion".
The proposals apply to large and small producers alike and there is concern within the poultry sector that producers still currently using cages will struggle to adapt to alternative systems by 2032.
The department has also published proposals for tighter restrictions on sheep mutilation practices such as castration and tail docking, which it says cause pain to lambs and are often carried out without pain relief.
The proposals, which will be subject to eight-week consultations, mark the first stage of the various improvements set out in Defra’s Welfare Strategy, which was published just before Christmas.
Speaking to journalists at the Oxford Farming Conference, Defra secretary Emma Reynolds made it clear these would be the first in a series of consultations on farm animal improvements. This is likely to include further consultations this year on farrowing crates in pigs and the use CO2 in abattoirs – however, Mrs Reyndolds did not specify timelines.
NPA chief policy adviser Katie Jarvis pointed out that the pig sector, led by the NPA, has done a lot of work to prepare for changes to farrowing systems and provide an evidence base and work with Defra to ensure any proposals are workable.
Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “We are committed to improving the lives of farm animals and to supporting farmers to produce food sustainably, profitably and to the high standards consumers expect.
“British consumers want high animal welfare standards and these measures reflect those values, creating healthier livestock and high welfare food production”.
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