After years of pressure and broken promises, activists welcome Commission’s confirmation of cage ban for hens in 2026 and sows by mid-2027.

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 (7 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 of 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 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 Action Plan, which aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on imported plant proteins by encouraging the domestic cultivation of crops. Compassion in World Farming welcomes the report’s recognition of the need to reduce animal protein consumption, but calls for concrete solutions to promote protein diversification and plant-rich diets as key actions to meaningfully transition towards a more sustainable food system.

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For more information or to arrange interviews, please email media.team@ciwf.org

Notes to Editors

An overwhelming 89% of EU citizens – around 400 million people – believe animals should not be farmed in individual cages. Yet, across Europe, around 300 million pigs, hens, rabbits, ducks, quail and geese still spend most of their lives in cages every year. Animals kept in cages are often confined in barren environments, either overcrowded or completely lacking social contact, unable to turn around or express even the most basic behaviours.
On 30 June 2021, the Commission positively responded to the EtCA ECI and announced legislative proposals to ban cages by 2023, but failed to deliver them. This prompted the EtCA Citizens’ Committee to launch an ongoing landmark case before the Court of Justice of the EU to hold the Commission accountable, which could force the Commission to produce a timeline for proposals to ban cages for all species.
Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 by a British dairy farmer who became horrified at the development of intensive factory farming. Today Compassion is the leading farm animal welfare organisation dedicated to ending factory farming and achieving humane and sustainable food production. With headquarters in the UK, we have offices across Europe, in the US, China and South Africa.

EU Commission plans to ban cages for 160 million hens & sows