Uk Government Plans To Phase Out Cage Systems For Egg Laying Hens

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The Labour authorities has revealed plans to amended nan use of ovum laying hens and to clamp down connected “mutilation practices” for lambs.

So-called colony cage systems for laying hens would beryllium phased retired by 2032, including those utilized by smaller ovum producers nether nan proposals put guardant yesterday (12 January).

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The improved colony aliases enriched systems were introduced successful 2012 arsenic portion of an EU-wide directive to prohibition nan usage of artillery laying hens and springiness birds much state of movement, according to nan British Hen Welfare Trust.

However, hens are still kept successful cages albeit somewhat larger than nether nan artillery system. The RSPCA says hens stay “severely restricted pinch small room to move around” nether colony systems.

“These cages heavy restrict nan activity of British laying hens pinch up to 80 birds successful each cage, pinch each vertebrate having abstraction that is nary bigger than an A4 expanse of paper,” according to a authorities statement, which suggests colony cage eggs relationship for 20% of nan UK supply.

“With nan UK’s starring retailers, from Sainsbury’s to Aldi, already committed to not trading eggs produced from cage systems and wide nationalist support – nan move announced coming is successful statement pinch wide champion believe and nationalist opinion,” nan connection read.

Meanwhile, nan authorities besides plans “tighter restrictions connected sheep mutilation practices specified arsenic castration and tail docking, which origin symptom to lambs and are often carried retired without symptom relief”.

An eight-week consultation play is planned nether nan proposals to measure imaginable effect from nan measures connected farmers.

“We are committed to moving pinch farmers connected immoderate changes arsenic portion of our committedness to ensuring a productive and sustainable farming sector,” nan authorities said.

Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle added: “We are committed to improving nan lives of workplace animals and to supporting farmers to nutrient food sustainably, profitably and to nan precocious standards consumers expect.

“British consumers want precocious animal-welfare standards and these measures bespeak those values, creating healthier livestock and precocious use nutrient production.”

The National Farmers Union (NFU) emphasised that UK farmers are committed to precocious use standards but urged nan authorities to guarantee nan aforesaid standards are applied to imports.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said successful a abstracted statement: “If authorities wants to raise home animal-welfare standards further by phasing retired colony cage systems crossed nan laying hen assemblage and tightening restrictions connected practices specified arsenic lamb castration and tail docking, past it must return steps to guarantee consumers are protected from imported nutrient that could beryllium produced to little standards, and that British farmers are not asked to compete pinch imports produced astatine those little standards which would beryllium forbidden here.”

Commenting successful nan government’s connection announcing nan proposals, Anthony Field, nan caput of Compassion successful World Farming, said nan plans to extremity caged hen systems person agelong been awaited.

“We are optimistic that this will beryllium nan first of galore meaningful and lasting changes,” he said. “Phasing retired cages for nan millions of hens kept down bars each twelvemonth cannot travel soon enough, and we dream nan result of this consultation will beryllium an eager timeline for phasing retired these sadistic systems.”