Major European food businesses are driving change for a cage-free Europe but need EU to deliver promised ban

A new report launched today (10 September) reveals that major European food companies are leading the way towards cage-free farming in Europe but need the EU to deliver its promised ban on caged animal farming.

The report, called Food Businesses paving the way for a cage-free Europe, highlights case studies showing how leading companies such as Barilla, Carrefour, and Kaufland are successfully phasing out the use of cages in their supply chains. These companies need the EU to support the transition by creating a level playing field and ensuring fair market competition by delivering on its 2021 commitment to ban cages across the EU.

In response to the successful End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative, signed by over 1.4 million EU citizens and led by Compassion in World Farming, the European Commission made a clear and legally-binding commitment to introduce legislative proposals to end caged farming by the end of 2023. While the last Commission failed to present these proposals, the consensus achieved in the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture is encouraging. We now urge the new Commission to adopt the recommendations, and deliver the cage ban proposals by 2026 at the latest.

In October last year, the Commission’s own Eurobarometer survey revealed that an overwhelming nine out of ten (89%) EU citizens – around 400 million people – believe animals should not be farmed in individual cages . There is abundant scientific evidence confirming cages are severely detrimental to animal welfare. This includes the latest Scientific Opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), recommending that cages should no longer be used for laying hens, breeding sows, quail and ducks.

Aware of the cruelty caused to around 300 million animals farmed across Europe in cages every year, consumers increasingly choose cage-free products. Responding to this demand, over 1,400 commitments have been made by food companies across Europe for cage-free laying hens alone. These include household names such as KFC, Subway, Nestle and Unilever.

Pasta and baked goods company, Barilla Group – which operates across over 100 countries – is one of the food businesses featured in the report, sharing its transition to using cage-free egg products in its supply chain. Leonardo Mirone, ESG Leader Sourcing Chains at Barilla Group, said: “Barilla endeavours to ensure that all suppliers of raw materials of animal origin comply not just with legal requirements but also with the highest animal welfare standards and criteria and we proudly achieved our global cage-free goal in 2019.... A crucial step forward in supporting and advancing sector-wide transformation would be the introduction of legislation by the European Commission to enforce a ban on cages.”

BreFood, a wholesaler supplying cage-free rabbit meat to renowned retailers across Germany, has also been recognised as an animal welfare leader in the report, having put rabbit welfare at the centre of its business mode for over a decade. Ricarda-Maria Heidmeyer, BreFood General Manager, said: “We fully support the call for a legislative ban on cages in Europe, which is urgently needed to create a level playing field and to raise the bar for rabbit welfare.”

Dr Tracey Jones, Global Director of Food Business, Compassion in World Farming said: “Scientists are backing the call to end caged systems. European Citizens are calling for change. Businesses are demonstrating that successful cage-free farming is not only possible at scale but is also the right thing to do – for the businesses, their customers and the animals in their supply.

“With the writing on the wall for cages, producers are keenly waiting for direction on timescales, minimum system requirements and how their transition to a cage-free future will be supported. We urge the new College of Commissioners to table the promised legislative proposals to phase out cages as one of its first priorities and ultimately consign cages to the history books for good.”

For further information about the campaign visit www.endthecageage.eu

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Fort further information or to arrange interview contact marta.vigano (at) ciwf.org

Notes to editors

1. Around 300 million farmed animals are kept in cages across the EU, including 40% of the laying hen flock (155 million hens), 94% of farmed rabbits (72 million rabbits) and 96% of breeding sows (10 million sows). Animals kept in cages are confined in barren environments, either overcrowded or completely lacking social contact, unable to turn around or express even the most basic behaviours.
2. According to the 2023 Eurobarometer, 94% of EU citizens believe that it is important that farmed animals are provided with enough space to be able to move around, lie down and stand up, and 89% believe that it is important that farm animals are not kept in individual cages.
3. In its latest Scientific Opinions on animal welfare, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends that cages should no longer be used for laying hens, breeding sows, quail and ducks to protect the welfare of those species.
4. In March 2024 the Citizen’s Committee of the End the Cage Age European Citizens Initiative (ECI) launched a landmark legal action against the European Commission over its failure to deliver its commitment to ban caged farming. In June, several major European NGOs asked the European Court of Justice to allow them to join this legal case against the EU’s executive.