UK Farm Animal Welfare: Cages, Imports, and the Path Forward

This episode explores a UK parliamentary debate on animal welfare in farming. Key themes include ending the use of cages and crates for farmed animals, like enriched cages for hens and farrowing crates for sows. Speakers highlight concerns about low-welfare imports undermining UK farmers and standards, calling for mandatory animal welfare labelling to inform consumers. The debate also touches on insufficient enforcement of current laws and the rise of intensive farming, including 'mega-farms'. The discussion emphasizes supporting farmers during the transition to higher welfare practices.

Key Takeaways:

• Millions of farmed animals in the UK endure confinement, pain, and neglect.
• A significant number of UK hens are still in "enriched cages" that restrict natural behaviours, and many sows are kept in farrowing crates where they cannot turn around.
• Prosecutions for animal welfare violations in farming are rare despite numerous breaches.
• There is concern that imports from countries with lower animal welfare standards disadvantage UK farmers and may not align with British values.
• Mandatory animal welfare labelling is proposed to help consumers make informed choices and support higher standards.
• The rise of intensive farming, including 'mega-farms', raises concerns about animal welfare, staffing ratios, and environmental impact.

Important Definitions and Concepts:

• Enriched Cages: Cages for laying hens, used by about 28% of the UK laying flock, which severely restrict natural behaviours. Also referred to as "confinement cages".
• Farrowing Crates: Small metal cages used on pig farms where sows are confined to give birth and nurse young, preventing them from turning around or expressing natural maternal behaviours.
• Mandatory Animal Welfare Labelling: A proposed scheme where labels on meat, eggs, and dairy would clearly communicate the welfare standards used in production, enabling consumers to make informed choices.

Source: Animal Welfare in Farming
Volume 768: debated on Tuesday 3 June 2025

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Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.