Compassion in World Farming welcomes the announcement that the European Commission will finally deliver proposals to ban cages for laying hens in 2026 and for sows by mid-2027 – as detailed in the Livestock Strategy released today (1 July).

Today’s announcements, if delivered, will be a significant victory for animals that could free over 160 million animals from cages, says the NGO.

However, in 2021, the Commission promised to ban cages for all animals, as demanded by 1.4 million citizens and 170 NGOs who supported the End the Cage Age (EtCA) European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), led by Compassion in World Farming. Although this announcement sets a key precedent, the animal welfare NGO calls for a clear, ambitious timeline for comprehensive proposals for all other species farmed in cages across Europe.

Philip Lymbery, Global CEO at Compassion in World Farming, said:

After years of delay, this could be the breakthrough Europe’s farmed animals desperately need. A ban on cages for hens and sows would transform the lives of more than 160 million animals and show that public pressure can lead to real change.

However, this must not be where the Commission’s ambition ends. It promised to End the Cage Age for all animals. It must now maintain momentum and give a clear, ambitious timeline for banning cages for every species.

The Commission must also go beyond tinkering with how factory farms operate and confront the urgent need to transform the system itself. With ecological collapse already unfolding, business as usual in Europe’s farming sector is no longer an option.

Intended to map out the future of animal farming up until 2040, the Livestock Strategy:

Alludes to a dedicated financial instrument to help farmers transition to higher-welfare, sustainable practices;
Announces that animal welfare rules are currently being reviewed to ensure better alignment of standards;
Announces an end to the systemic practice of culling male day-old chicks;
Identifies the need to introduce animal welfare requirements for imported products, in line with WTO standards and set on-farm indicators;
Recognises that animal farming is a major source of emissions but fails to reimagine the sector away from factory farming while focusing on technofixes like measuring livestock emissions in a way that would reduce the sector’s reported climate impact;
Misses the opportunity to end the long-distance transport of animals to third countries, leaving thousands of animals exposed to cruel, avoidable suffering.

Alongside the Livestock Strategy, the EU’s executive published the Protein Plan, which aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on imported plant proteins for feed and boost plant-based food consumption. Compassion in World Farming welcomes the report’s recommendation to promote extensive farming to reduce feed imports, and the focus on demand-size measures, such as taxation or public procurement, in relation to plant-based food.

Commission confirms plans to ban cages for 160 million hens and sows