EU Parliament calls for a ban on cage farming
The initiative was sparked by a citizens’ petition signed by almost 1.4 million people.
On 10 June 2021, the EU moved closer to ending the cage era, as the EU Parliament called on the EU Commission to ban such practices in animal farming by 2027.
The EU Parliament adopted a resolution on the European Citizens’ Initiative «End the Cage Age» by an overwhelming majority, with 558 Members of the European Parliament voting in favour, 37 against, and 85 abstentions.
The resolution calls on the Commission to revise the outdated EU directive on farmed animals in order to abolish cruel cage systems in animal farming. This would prevent more than 300 million farmed animals – such as chickens, pigs, quails, ducks, and rabbits – from being kept in cramped cages every year.
Many of them are kept this way for all or nearly all of their lives. Animals in cages are severely restricted in their movements and prevented from engaging in their natural behavior, which has a detrimental effect on their health and welfare.
A 2019 investigation in Italy found that countless of the country’s 500,000 sows are forced to spend half their lives in metal cages. The cages enclose their bodies completely, prevent them from walking or turning around, and make it impossible for them to properly care for their piglets. In such confined spaces, they can only stand or lie down, surrounded by insects, rats, and the bodies of dead piglets.
It is also emphasized that all products placed on the EU market – including imports – must comply with future cage-free standards.
Switzerland banned cage farming as early as 1991 – becoming the first country in the world to do so. However, sows in Switzerland may still be kept in farrowing crates for a maximum of ten days.
The ban on cage farming is not just a matter of animal welfare. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how closely animal welfare and public health are interconnected. Animals kept in cages are under constant stress and therefore significantly more susceptible to disease. Thousands of animals in confined spaces also create the ideal breeding ground for viruses that can be transmitted to humans.
Over 75 percent of emerging diseases are zoonoses, meaning they originate in animals. When the European Commission addresses the citizens' initiative, it is also taking important steps to prevent the next pandemic. The EU should now work to repair the devastating damage caused by intensive farming. The agriculture of the future must not only be more animal-friendly, but also safeguard the health of citizens.
Furthermore, the resolution emphasizes the need to provide adequate incentives and funding programmes to support farmers in transitioning to cage-free systems. Livestock keepers could be trained and otherwise supported so that they do not suffer any disadvantages and livestock farming is not relocated to places outside the EU where the ban does not apply.
Today, the European Parliament has demonstrated strong support for ending the barbaric cage systems in animal farming. EU citizens, scientists, businesses, and now democratic representatives want to end the dark age of animal farming. It is now up to the European Commission to give these voices a hearing, not only to alleviate the suffering of billions of animals, but also to honour the democracy and civilisation of the EU. We are counting on a positive decision.
Reineke Hameleers
Furthermore, Parliament called for a ban on force-feeding ducks and geese for foie gras, a delicacy popular in France. »The conditions in which animals spend their often very short lives are not animal husbandry, but quite simply animal cruelty«, said Green MEP Sven Giegold.
The Members also called on the Commission to accelerate the review of EU animal welfare legislation, demanding that it be completed by 2022 rather than 2023 as currently planned. This would ensure that the ban on cages in animal farming is introduced within the mandate of the current Commission, which leaves office in 2024.
