It’s time to end the cruelty of the ‘cage age’ for egg-laying hens
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4 min read
Six million egg-laying hens are still forced to endure unacceptable conditions in cages in the UK – we must act now to ban their use
As you make your way through Parliament this week, you may notice something unusual in the Upper Waiting Hall by the Committee Corridor.
A red telephone box might be a common sight in London, but this one serves a very different purpose. This particular phone box is the centre of a striking new exhibition, organised by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and sponsored by me, highlighting the reality faced by millions of laying hens still kept in cages across the UK.
The replica phone box demonstrates, in stark terms, just how little space caged hens are given. Four adults crammed inside it occupy roughly the same amount of space as several hens confined in so-called ‘enriched’ cages. These are the conditions that over six million egg-laying hens are still forced to endure in cages on some farms, a completely unacceptable reality.
Those stopping off at the exhibition are invited to step inside and listen to recorded messages from members of the public calling on the government to end the cage age. Alongside the installation sits CIWF’s substantial ‘phone book’ which contains more than 10,000 written messages from people across the country who support a ban on cages for laying hens.
Together, this chorus sends a clear message: this is not a niche issue. It is one on which the public increasingly expects action from the government to stop the needless suffering of hens right by and down Britain.
The replica phone box demonstrates, in stark terms, just how little space caged hens are given
Spend just a few moments inside the phone box with multiple people and the lack of space quickly becomes uncomfortable. Yet for those millions of hens, confinement is their daily existence. Even in ‘enriched cages’, each bird is afforded little more usable space than an A4 sheet of paper, which prevents them from carrying out many natural behaviours including scratching, pecking, foraging and fully stretching their wings; activities that are fundamental to their welfare.
The good news is that change is already underway. The vast majority of UK-produced eggs now come from cage-free systems, and all major supermarkets have either stopped selling shell eggs from caged hens or have committed to doing so. With around 84 per cent of production already cage-free, the direction of travel is clear towards a future free of cages.
But, despite this, the question remains as to whether legislation will now catch up to outlaw it completely. The government's Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published last December, signalled Defra's intention to end the use of cages for laying hens. Earlier this year, a consultation on a proposed phase out by 2032 gathered views on how this could be achieved. While a more ambitious timetable would be welcome, the consultation represented a significant step forward. The challenge now for those in Parliament is turning consultation into legislation.
Public support for change is strong. Polling consistently shows that a substantial majority of people believe cages are cruel and a number of European countries – including Austria, Luxembourg, Germany and Czechia – have already taken steps to phase them out. The UK has an opportunity to show leadership on animal welfare once again.
I am grateful to CIWF for bringing this exhibition to Parliament and for the persistence with which it has championed this issue over many years. Through public campaigns, parliamentary engagement and sustained work with the food industry, it has helped drive significant progress in moving production away from cage systems.
That progress should not stop here. The exhibition in the Upper Waiting Hall offers a timely reminder of how far we have come, but also of the work still to do. I hope colleagues will take a few minutes to visit it and consider why the case for ending cages for laying hens has never been stronger.
Josh Newbury is Labour MP for Cannock Chase
