RSPCA CAMPAIGN AGAINST ALL BATTERY CAGES FOR LAYING HENS

Motion Text

That this House notes with concern that 21 million hens are currently condemned to a miserable existence in battery cages with almost no space to stretch their wings, move around or behave in a natural way; welcomes the proposed ban across Europe from 2012 of conventional battery cages; however notes that so-called enriched battery cages which allow only a little more room than conventional battery systems still do not meet the welfare needs of the hens; therefore supports the RSPCA call for an unconditional ban on all cages and for battery systems to be replaced with free-range and barn systems, which allow birds to move around and express normal behaviour; encourages egg producers to put into practice higher welfare alternative systems such as barn and free range prior to legislative changes; welcomes the recent introduction of compulsory labelling of eggs to provide consumers with relevant information about the farming method; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to follow the lead of Germany and bring forward the ban on all cages by 2012 at the very latest.