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Take Action for Laying Hens

Thank you for supporting our urgent campaign to improve the lives of millions of hens.

It is vital that we speak out for all laying hens now. We need your support today to help make a difference:

  1. Send e-card to the UK Government
  2. Lobby your local MP
  3. Convince your council to go cage-free
  4. Send e-card to Tesco and Asda
  5. Tell your friends and family

 

"1"SEND AN E-CARD TO THE UK GOVERNMENT

UK legislation bans beak trimming in laying hens from 2011, however this ban is now under threat. A recent Opinion by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) recommends that the ban on beak trimming should be repealed. Compassion in World Farming are concerned that Defra may act upon FAWC's recommendation, resulting in millions of hens having to endure this painful mutilation.

Scientific literature argues the correct way to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism in hens is to keep them in good conditions and to select for birds that are less prone to feather pecking.

Take action now by sending our e-card to Animal Welfare Minister, Lord Rooker, urging Defra to allow the ban on beak trimming to come into force on the planned date of 1 January 2011.


Dear Lord Rooker,

Beak trimming of laying hens

I urge you not to act upon FAWC's recommendation to repeal the ban on the beak trimming of hens which is due to come into force in January 2011. It would be a highly retrograde step to revoke this important welfare reform.

When Defra banned beak trimming in 2002 it accepted the scientific argument that the correct way to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism is not to beak trim the birds, but to keep them in good conditions and to select for birds that are less prone to feather pecking and cannibalism. I urge Defra to adhere to this reasoning and to maintain the 2011 commencement date for the ban on beak trimming.

Yours sincerely,

eCard to Lord Rooker


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"2"LOBBY YOUR LOCAL MP

Contact your local MP and ask them to sign Early Day Motion (EDM) 723. EDM 723 calls on the Government to adopt public procurement policies that promote good standards of farm animal welfare. It urges public sector bodies to procure only chicken meat that has come from birds that have been reared free-range or to high indoor standards and to immediately cease purchases of battery eggs as this system will be illegal throughout the European Union from 2012.

You can email your MP direct at: www.writetothem.com

Please see 'success stories' in the action below for examples of public bodies that have already switched to using cage-free eggs in their canteens.

"3"CONVINCE YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL TO GO CAGE-FREE

You could change the lives of thousands of hens by writing just one letter. Join the new campaign to persuade local councils to use cage-free eggs in their catering.

Central and local government offices combined have great spending power as they employ over 2.5 million staff and most bodies provide food for their employees and guests. So the eggs provided by government offices represent the work of hundreds of thousands of hens.

It's simple:

We have made this campaign simple by providing all the information and materials you need to lobby your council. Please help us sweep this change across the UK and make it a happier place for millions of hens.

Success stories:

Since the launch of this campaign in July, there has been a very positive response from local councils. South Bedfordshire District Council pledged to go cage-free after receiving just one letter from a CIWF supporter. Hampshire County Council, who use over 600,000 eggs per year is changing its supplier to a local free-range farm. This move alone will liberate over 2200 hens from battery cages.

"4"SEND AN E-CARD TO TESCO

Despite the scientific evidence that the battery cage system is cruel and increased public support for free-range farming, Tesco, the largest UK supermarket, continues to make no commitment to help millions of hens and stop selling battery eggs.

Ecard for Tesco
  • Send an ecard to Tesco asking them to stop selling eggs from caged hens.

  • Buy free range or organic eggs.

  • Only buy processed food that contains free range or organic eggs.

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"5"TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Spread the word about laying hen welfare! Forward our website address, www.ciwf.org, to friends and family. Order an Action Pack, download our Compassionate Shopping Guide or order a printed copy. This pocket sized guide provides all the information you need to make a difference to the lives of millions of animals at the supermarket.