The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) welcomes the Government’s consultation on the use of cages for laying hens as an important opportunity to address one of the most persistent animal welfare concerns in industrial farming.
For decades, the use of cages has restricted the ability of laying hens to express natural behaviours such as perching, dust-bathing and foraging. While some improvements have been made over time, confinement systems remain fundamentally incompatible with the UK’s stated ambition to be a world leader in farm animal welfare.
This consultation represents a significant moment to consider how welfare standards can be strengthened in a way that is evidence-based, proportionate, and supportive of British farmers who are ready to invest in higher-welfare systems. CAWF believes that moving away from cages, alongside clear implementation timelines and appropriate transition support, can deliver meaningful welfare gains.
Importantly, any future policy changes must be accompanied by robust safeguards to ensure that higher UK standards are not undermined by lower-welfare imports. Transparent, mandatory method-of-production labelling will be essential so that consumers can make informed choices and British producers are not undercut by unseen, lower-standard products.
CAWF will be engaging constructively with the consultation process, drawing on existing scientific evidence, market data, and public attitudes, which consistently show strong support for improved farm animal welfare.
CAWF looks forward to contributing to a process that can deliver real progress for laying hens while supporting British farmers through a fair and managed transition.
We also welcome the consultation to improve the welfare of lambs. Lambs endure the routine practice of painful unnecessary mutilations of castration and tail docking, usually without pain relief or anaesthetic.
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “We are delighted to see the long-awaited Consultation on ending cages for laying hens launched today. This is the critical first step in legislating to end the suffering that millions of egg-laying hens endure each year, forced to spend their lives in enriched cages where they cannot spread their wings or perform natural behaviours.
“It is our hope that Defra will follow suit soon with a consultation to end cages- farrowing crates for pigs, which is the most severe form of confinement for any farmed animal in the UK or the European Union. If the UK is serious about cementing its place as a world leader in animal welfare, it is imperative that outdated and cruel farming practices like cages for laying hens and pig farrowing crates are fully outlawed as soon as possible.