This is a big moment for the ‘End the Cage Age’ European Citizens’ Initiative, whose culmination is expected in the next few months when the European Commission will give its formal response to the citizens’ call.

The Initiative calls on the EU to phase out the use of cages in animal farming. Cages restrict farmed animals’ ability to move by confining them to small spaces, preventing them from exercising important natural behaviours such as wing-flapping or stretching out.

“We are taking steps to tangible action because, as I have repeatedly stated, animal welfare and animal health are very high on our agenda,” noted Stella Kyriakides, Health and Food Safety Commissioner, adding: “We are very much aware that we need to do more, and we need to strive for better. And we are absolutely determined to do so. The European Citizens’ Initiative is a timely reminder of that. It is a heartful example also at democracy at its best.”

“You have my full support — full support from the European Commission to implement this transformation,” stated Janusz Wojciechowski, Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner. “The Commission promises you to work intensively to put this into legislation,” he added.

MEP reactions

"Today’s public hearing marked another fundamental step towards the objective of a cage-free Europe," said MEP Eleonora Evi, Vice-President of the Animal Welfare Intergroup and co-chair of its cage-free working group. "Together with many like-minded MEPs, we gave a voice to the over 300 million animals that every year, in the EU alone, spend all, or a significant part, of their lives imprisoned in cages. The enormous support received by this European Citizens’ Initiative throughout Europe cannot be ignored by the European Commission, which needs to come forward with a legislative proposal to end the unnecessary cruelty of caged farming as soon as possible, bringing EU farming practices closer to our citizens’ expectations and more aligned with nature and the protection of public health."

MEP Anja Hazekamp, President of the Animal Welfare Intergroup and co-chair of its cage-free working group, stated: “Hundreds of millions of animals in Europe are locked up in cages for farming purposes. These animals have no chance to exercise their natural behaviours and the conditions in which these animals are kept are so bad that their lives become one big agony. Cages are cruel, but also outdated and unnecessary. It’s a milestone that more than 1.4 million citizens have stood up for these animals to put an end to the 'cage-age'. We are now looking at the European Commission and the Member States to prove that they take their call seriously, and that they take the European Citizens’ Initiative as a democratic instrument seriously. A legislative proposal to ban the use of cages in agriculture must be put forward without delay.”

Why we need to end the use of cages

The EU has taken some first steps in improving the lives of farmed animals, such as requiring cages for hens to contain ‘enrichment’ like scratching areas and perches, as well as placing certain limits on the time when cages for female pigs (sows) and calves can be used.