Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has launched a new social media campaign urging Defra to introduce legislation to end the use of cages for laying hens in the UK.
The six-week campaign, which began on 10 October, features an animation contrasting the lives of caged hens with those kept in cage-free environments, highlighting natural behaviours such as perching, dustbathing and wing-flapping. Consumers are being encouraged to contact DEFRA directly to demand a ban on cages.
The initiative forms part of CIWF’s broader “End the Cage Age” programme across the UK and Europe. The campaign’s launch has been timed to build public momentum ahead of a parliamentary reception on 12 November, where food businesses, policymakers and animal welfare groups will call for a commitment to cage-free legislation.
Tracey Jones, global director of food business at CIWF, said legislation is needed to create a “level playing field” for producers. “Without legislation, responsible businesses that have already moved to cage-free systems risk being undercut by less committed competitors and lower-welfare imports,” she said.
While many UK egg producers and retailers have already made voluntary cage-free commitments, around seven million laying hens, roughly 18% of the national flock, are kept in enriched colony cages.
Jones added that CIWF’s campaign is designed to demonstrate consumer backing for legislative change, saying it would ensure the “entire sector moves forward together.”