Denmark moves animal welfare focus on laying hens
Animal welfare must be far better for Danish chickens. The Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries will therefore work for a phasing out of cage eggs in Denmark, and this work must take place in close dialogue with the egg producers and the industry in general. The new Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Rasmus Prehn, will now work for a complete phasing out of cage eggs, the goal is for eggs to be produced with animal welfare in focus. "Animal welfare must be raised so that the hens can dust bath and get more basket with their wings, but this must be done at a pace where farmers can keep up and adjust if that is what they want. To that extent, consumers have been at the forefront of this agenda, and I support it as Minister. But it must be done in dialogue with the profession", he mentioned in a press release.
age eggs have become a much rarer sight on the shelves in Danish supermarkets.
Danish consumers have shown the way and voted with their feet. They choose animal welfare and largely opt-out of the cage eggs. About 10% of the eggs sold in Denmark last year came from caged hens. In 2010, it was 61%, and today Danish cage eggs are largely only used in connection with industry and pharmaceutical production. The decline is mainly due to the decision of the large retail chains not to sell cage eggs.
On 7 October, the Unity List submitted a resolution proposing a ban on cage eggs in Denmark no later than the end of 2022, which will be considered in the Danish Parliament on 26 November.
The government does not vote for it, as the phasing-out period is considered too short. "The government has a strong ambition to raise animal welfare in the Danish stables in general, and I support that the production of cage eggs should be banned. But it is important that we get the business involved and give it time and help to adjust. That is why I prioritize dialogue and common solutions, and it is with this focus that I now move forward with the work towards phasing out," says Rasmus Prehn.
According to the CHR register, there are ten Danish producers of cage eggs in Denmark. Cage eggs come from chickens that live in cages. There may not be more than ten hens in a cage corresponding to 750 square cm per hen. Caged hens do not come outdoors. Cage eggs are mainly supplied to canteens, restaurants, the catering industry and the food industry. There are virtually no supermarkets selling cage eggs. Until 2012, the Danish producers of cage eggs invested in new cages that complied with stricter EU rules.
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