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The European Parliament has voted in favor of banning caged farming.
558 MEPs voted in favor of the resolution – with 37 voting against the ban and 85 abstaining.
Committee members are now calling on the European Commission to phase out caged farming, possibly by 2027.
An ‘ethical imperative’
EU animal welfare standards already include certain restrictions on the controversial practice, such as tightly packed battery cages for hens. However, ‘furnished’ cages are still permitted in some countries.
The Commission is also being urged to propose a ban on the force-feeding of ducks and geese for foie gras production.
Stella Kyriakides is the EU health commissioner. According to Reuters, she said: “Acting to improve the welfare of animals is an ethical, social, and economic imperative.”
Caged farming
The push follows years of lobbying from Compassion In World Farming. Its ‘End The Cage Age’ petition has garnered a staggering 1.4 million signatures.
“Farmed animals have never had so many people standing up for them,” the organization states.
“From caged hens who long to stretch their wings to sows who want to mother their piglets unconfined, and rabbits who deserve the space to hop… Each one of them now has a better chance in life.”
