Caged calf – Image by BARBARA808 on Pixabay
(BRUSSELS) – The EU Commission responded positively Wednesday to a European citizens’ petition to ‘End the Cage Age’ with plans for a legislative proposal by 2023 to prohibit cages for a number of farm animals.
A European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) allows 1 million citizens from at least seven EU Member States to invite the European Commission to propose legal action in areas where the Commission has the power to do so.
While all farm animals benefit from current legislation on the protection of animals, only laying hens, broilers, sows and calves are covered by rules on caging.
In its response to the ECI, the Commission commits to table, by the end of 2023, a legislative proposal to phase out, and finally prohibit, the use of cage systems for all animals mentioned in the Initiative.
In particular, the Commission’s proposal will concern:
- Animals already covered by legislation: laying hens, sows and calves;
- Other animals mentioned in the ECI: rabbits, pullets, layer breeders, broiler breeders, quail, ducks and geese. For these animals, the Commission has already asked EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) to complement the existing scientific evidence to determine the conditions needed for the prohibition of cages.
As part of its Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission has already committed to propose a revision of the animal welfare legislation, including on transport and rearing, which is currently undergoing a fitness check, to be finalised by the summer of 2022.
In parallel to the legislation and to facilitate a balanced and economically viable transition to cage-free farming, the Commission will seek specific supporting measures in key related policy areas, such as trade and research and innovation. In particular, the new Common Agricultural Policy will provide financial support and incentives such as the new eco-schemes instrument to help farmers upgrade to more animal-friendly facilities in line with the new standards. The Commission will also ensure that additional financial resources are made available to support farmers in the transition to cage-free systems.*
Proposal to phase out cages for farm animals - background guide
