Scotland is pioneering a groundbreaking proposal to become the inaugural region in the UK to outlaw the caging of laying hens within egg production facilities.

The Scottish government has initiated a fresh consultation aimed at prohibiting the confinement of hens in cages, signaling a significant step towards enhancing animal welfare standards.

Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie has asserted that such a move would position Scotland as a frontrunner in advancing animal welfare practices.

While the use of battery cages for birds was banned across the UK in 2012, there are still over 1.1 million chickens in Scotland residing in "enriched cages," which offer more space for nesting, roosting, and scratching compared to traditional battery cages.

A survey conducted in 2020 revealed that an overwhelming majority of UK citizens, approximately 88%, deemed the use of cages in farming as inhumane. Furthermore, more than three-quarters of respondents supported a complete ban on their utilization.

The proposed strategy by the Scottish government leans towards prohibiting the installation of new cages by 2033, followed by a complete cessation of housing birds in enriched cages by 2034. This approach is believed to strike a balance between enhancing bird welfare and ensuring sustainability in the laying hen sector.

However, the consultation also seeks input on expediting the ban on enriched cages to commence from 2030. Additionally, it presents a non-regulatory alternative, encouraging retailers and caterers to commit to refraining from selling or using eggs sourced from birds kept in enriched cages by 2034.

Minister Fairlie emphasized that Scotland's recent program for government underscores commitments to enhancing the welfare of laying hens, ensuring that their confinement does not impede their natural behaviors.

He hailed the proposed ban as another testament to Scotland's proactive stance in advancing animal welfare standards, positioning it as the first nation in the UK to pursue such a measure.

Furthermore, Fairlie highlighted the European Union's legislative efforts to phase out cages for all farmed livestock, with several member states, including Luxembourg and Austria, already implementing bans or phasing them out. Scotland plans to gather evidence on the use of cages in other sectors, such as gamebird, quail egg, and meat production, in the near future.

Mark Borthwick, Policy Manager at World Animal Protection, applauded Scotland's initiative, stressing the urgency to end the use of cages, which not only restrict animals' natural behaviors but also inflict considerable suffering. He noted that other countries, including Germany, Czechia, and Slovakia, have already taken steps to ban enriched cages, with France prohibiting the installation of new cages altogether. Photo by Varghese K James, Wikimedia commons.