Dear the Right Hon. the Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs),
We, the undersigned, join Animal Equality in calling for a ban on keeping hens used for their eggs in cages in the UK.
As you may have seen, a recent investigation carried out by Animal Equality exposed a ‘quality assured’ British egg farm confining hundreds of thousands of hens in abhorrent conditions.
Hens in cages today suffer a miserable existence crammed into overcrowded, barren, wire-floored confinement they are barely afforded the space of an A4 piece of paper.
Such appalling conditions clearly have significant and disturbing ramifications for the animals, causing serious physical and psychological issues. Many hens shown in Animal Equality’s footage were suffering from severe feather loss – some were nearly bald. Others showed signs of painful hernias and red, raw skin.
Whilst ‘conventional’ cages were banned in Britain years ago, so-called ‘enriched’ cages – which bear a striking resemblance to those that have been outlawed for failing to meet hens’ basic welfare needs – are still permitted. Latest statistics show that over 40% of hens in the UK spend their entire lives in crowded cages. This is heartbreaking and outrageous.
We call ourselves a nation of animal lovers, so how can we allow cruel cages to continue?
In May 2019 the ‘End the Cage Age’ parliamentary petition amassed overwhelming public support, reaching over 100,000 signatures.
In March 2020 Defra responded, stating that it was “examining the future use of cages for all laying hens”.
In October 2020 Animal Equality released footage showing the devastating impact of cages on hens.
The time has come for us to ban cages for hens.
We, the undersigned, call on you to act now and without delay.