Feature:
Laying hens
When is a ban not a ban?
October 2011
BE A GOOD EGG AND STAND UP FOR HEN WELFARE
Back in 1999, EU members agreed to outlaw keeping hens in conventional battery cages by 1 January 2012.
All English and Welsh producers are expected to be ready for the new law, which is brilliant news.
But, despite having more than 12 years to change, more than one in three cage eggs produced across Europe next year are expected to come from systems using illegal conventional battery cages.
Does it matter?
It certainly does. It matters because it means around 84 million hens are still likely to be raised in cramped, bare - and illegal - cages. But it also matters because it undermines all the work done in this country.
Producers of illegal eggs will be rewarded, and shoppers won’t always know what they’re buying – particularly when it comes to products containing eggs as ingredients (sandwiches, cakes etc).
What can be done?
* We are calling on the European Commission to take swift action with meaningful financial penalties against any countries with non-compliant egg producers after 1 January 2012, to send a clear message that the law must be fully implemented across Europe.
* We are urging Defra and the Welsh Government to carry out thorough checks on all imported eggs to stop illegal eggs ending up on our shelves.
* We are urging the UK food industry, including importers, caterers, processors, food manufacturers and retailers to meet their responsibility to ensure the products they buy, use and sell do not contain eggs from hens kept in illegal systems.
Show your support to the campaign by sharing this article using the buttons below. Thank you.
