Thank you for contacting me about the use of cages for hens in the UK.
I am afraid I was unable to attend the event you mention but I support banning cages or close confinement systems where clear scientific evidence demonstrates that they are detrimental to animal and bird health and welfare. That is in keeping with much of the UK’s existing legislation on the use of cages and crates, including: the ban on keeping calves in veal crates, introduced in 1990; the ban on keeping sows in close confinement stalls, introduced in 1999; and the ban on the use of battery cages for laying hens, introduced in 2012.
The Government finally published its Animal Welfare Strategy on 22 December 2025, just before Christmas in an apparent attempt to avoid scrutiny.
Egg producers and consumers should rightly have pride in the quality of British eggs, with around 75 per cent coming from free range, barn and organic production systems. As you may know, the market itself has been driving the move to alternative systems for laying hens away from the use of cages, primarily towards free range and barn.
The last Government announced a grant scheme to support laying-hen and pullet farmers with flocks of 1,000 birds or more to refurbish or replace existing housing, supporting a transition to cage-free systems. The current Government is continuing to offer these grants and it is important the Government works with farmers to transition to non-cage systems. I hope that farmers responded to the Government's 8-week consultation, which opened on 12 January, to phase out enriched ‘colony’ cages, as announced in the Animal Welfare Strategy.
As you may know, the industry has warned the Government that, if UK farmers are forced to transition away from current husbandry systems for chickens and hens, British farming may be under threat if these higher welfare standards are not also put in place for imported meat. A key part of this is transparent food labelling.
My colleague, Victoria Atkins MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has announced that the next Conservative Government will close the current flag loophole which allows food grown overseas but packaged or assembled in the UK to display the Union Jack or be described as 'Made in Britain'. If you are choosing to buy British food and support British farmers, then the food you buy should be what it says on the packaging.
I hope that the Government works productively with the farming community to ensure any reforms are affordable, practical, effective and, at their heart, promote animal welfare.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
