In the new report launched during the webinar today, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) explored the environmental and societal benefits and trade-offs of ending the use of cages in the production of egg-laying hens, pigs and rabbits in the EU.

If paired with ambitious actions on addressing overconsumption, reducing protein imports and implementing large-scale organic conversion of animal farming, a cage-free farming transition could trigger the much needed environmental and socio-economic transformation, finds the report.

IEEP conducted this independent study, commissioned by Compassion in World Farming, on how a transition to cage-free farming could support a sustainability transition in the animal farming sector while delivering wider positive benefits to society.

The report presents a selection of policy tools and stakeholder actions that would support a transition to a cage-free EU, compiled through stakeholder consultations and a literature review. It describes three scenarios of how both farm animal welfare and the sustainability of production and consumption can be addressed simultaneously.

Greater implications for almost all aspects of sustainability can be expected if the cage-free transition is accompanied by changes in the scale of consumption and production of animal products and if there is a substantial departure from the current large-scale use of concentrated feeds, including imported proteins.

“Our research finds that advancing a transition towards cage-free farming as part of a wider sustainability transition can be a win-win for both environmental sustainability and animal welfare," said Elisa Kollenda, Policy Analyst at the Institute for European Environmental Policy. "The recent Farm to Fork Strategy signals the need to review and improve farm animal welfare legislation alongside many other steps to improve the sustainability of production and consumption. The linkages between the two need to be clearer in the debate.”

End the Cage Age