The Best Practice Hens event was opened by Claire Bury from the European Commission, followed by MEP Benoit Biteau. Bas Rodenburg, the coordinator of the pilot project, then introduced the project to the audience and shared some of the key incentives to transition to cage-free farming systems, such as the recommendations to phase out the use of cages in the EFSA scientific opinion on laying hen welfare, the success of the ECI “End the Cage Age”, and increasing societal pressure to ban the use of cages in animal agriculture. 

Afterwards, specialists involved in the project (Anja Riber from Aarhus University and Mona Giersberg from Utrecht University) highlighted the key results from the project, which included: 

• Best practices for pullet rearing in cage-free systems, such as the use of dark brooders and familiarising them with the environment they will be in later stages of their life
• Best practices for keeping laying hens in cage-free systems, such as phasing out beak trimming and providing more enrichment. 

This was followed by a presentation on the economics of transitioning to cage-free farming by Peter van Horne from Wageningen University, before the event was closed with a panel discussion, where members of the Stakeholder Advisory Board shared their views and engaged in a debate on the future of cage-free farming. 

The benefits are obvious and the road ahead is clear: now’s the time to liberate laying hens

The need to transition to cage-free farming is evident from an animal welfare perspective, as laid out in an immense body of science that has been well-summarised in EFSA’s scientific opinion on the welfare of laying hens. 

Moreover, the transition to cage-free will ensure a level-playing field across Europe, safeguarding the livelihoods of farmers. With that in mind, the shift should be swift to avoid creating more disparity among Member States and incurring any negative impacts, such as those that the industry encountered when the ban on barren cages came into force in 2012. As indicated in the report on the fitness check of the current animal welfare legislation, the long transition period to enriched cages led some producers to wait until the last possible moment before changing their infrastructure, which unnecessarily increased egg prices and created a situation of unfair competition among Member States. Such a situation can be avoided by setting short but realistic transition periods. 

Moreover, the depreciation period for the current investments in egg-laying facilities is coming to an end, as many farmers invested around the time of the previous transition (2010-2012). Thus, producers will be looking to invest again in the coming years. It is, therefore, fundamental for legislation to indicate future-proof investments in cage-free facilities instead of cages that will no longer be viable. The industry itself believes that, given sufficient accompanying measures, the transition can be achieved in three to five years. Learn more about industry opinions, the latest science, and our recommendations for an effective transition to cage-free farming in our new ‘Phasing out cages’ report.

We know the transition is feasible, it’s doable and it’s possible. - Claire Bury 

We’re delighted to see that momentum is building for banning cages across Europe. If while drawing up their new legislation policymakers use the latest science, case studies and data, as well as keep in mind citizens’ demand for higher animal welfare standards, this next chapter for laying hens could be the brightest one yet.

Every farm animal deserves to live a healthy, satisfying life - which is why we’re calling for all of them to be closely considered in the ongoing revision to the animal welfare legislation. Will you join our cry to ensure there’s No Animal Left Behind?