The Government is aware of the strong public feeling on keeping farm animals in cages and the recent campaigns urging the Government to publish consultations on phasing out the use of enriched ‘colony’ cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.

For laying hens, we are encouraged that the sector is moving away from the use of enriched ‘colony’ cages to free-range and barn production. The transition to cage free systems is being supported by this Government through grants for laying hen and pullet farmers in England with flocks of 1,000 birds or more, to refurbish or replace existing housing including those looking to make the transition from colony cages to high-welfare non-cage systems.

This transition has also been supported by the major supermarkets - who have pledged to stop selling shell eggs from hens kept in colony cages by the end of 2025 - with some retailers also extending their 2025 pledge to processed egg, such as powdered or liquid. This shift by retailers has accelerated the move away from colony cage systems. Eggs produced from hens in colony cage systems accounted for just over 44% of the total egg throughput in the UK in 2018, but by the end of 2024, this had reduced to 20%. Free-range eggs now account for 69% of the total egg throughput in the UK.

We already have a significant outdoor pig sector: 50% of the national sow breeding herd give birth freely on outdoor units, with no option for confinement. The statutory Welfare Code of Practice for Pigs states that the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow, as well as her piglets - (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pigs-on-farm-welfare)

As with cages for laying hens, ending the use of farrowing crates is an issue that not only affects the UK industry, but is also something that our European trading partners are also considering and, as with any change to our farming systems, we need to carefully consider the implications for trade. When considering changes to welfare standards at home, it is crucial that we consider the potential for simply moving low-welfare production overseas. Replacing a UK egg with an imported caged egg would be bad for the consumer, bad for producers, and bad for animal welfare.

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007, Schedule 6, Paragraph 1, sets down requirements that apply to the accommodation of calves confined for rearing and fattening. It states that: “No calf may be confined in an individual stall or pen after the age of eight weeks unless a veterinary surgeon certifies that its health or behaviour requires it to be isolated in order to receive treatment”. In addition, the regulation requires the hutches to be of a specified size and individual stalls or pens (except for those isolating sick animals) must have perforated walls which allow calves to have direct visual and tactile contact with other calves.

We are pleased that the industry has already been moving towards pair housing of young calves and some farm assurance schemes require calves to be housed in groups or pairs from less than 8 weeks of age.

Defra’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes provides keepers with guidance on how to meet the welfare needs of their gamebirds as required by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 - (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-welfare-of-gamebirds-reared-for-sporting-purposes) It recommends that barren cages for breeding pheasants and small barren cages for breeding partridges should not be used, and that any system should be appropriately enriched.

The UK is rightly proud of the high animal welfare standards that underpin our high-quality British produce, and we will work to ensure we address low confidence and provide stability for the farming sector, while delivering high standards of farm animal welfare.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs