End cramped and cruel cages
We’re on the brink of making history for hens.
Right now, the UK Government is holding a formal consultation on cages to decide the fate of millions of hens - and your voice could change everything.
Respond to the consultation - Ban cages for laying hens
Ban cages for laying hens - respond to the consultation
We’re on the brink of making history for hens.
Right now, the UK Government is holding a formal consultation on cages to decide the fate of millions of hens — and your voice could change everything.
We urgently need your help to show that there is overwhelming public support to ban cages as soon as possible.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Industry lobbyists are already pushing to keep cages. This is a now-or-never moment to overwhelm the UK Government with responses to secure a cage-free future. Will you be the voice that hens don't have?
End cramped and cruel cages for farm animals
Every year across the UK, millions of farmed animals are kept in cramped and often dirty cages, barely able to spread their wings or stretch their legs.
Most of these animals will never in their lives have the freedom to move properly and express their natural behaviours – instead they suffer unimaginably. These inhumane systems cannot be the future of British farming.
Thank you
The cages consultation has now closed. Thank you to over 22,000 supporters for responding, speaking up and taking action for caged farmed hens.
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Take one minute to respond to the consultation now
We only have until March 9 to rewrite the law for hens — we must act now.
Please take one minute to respond to the consultation using our pre-populated email template below.
Every single response acts as evidence and puts pressure on the UK Government to ban cages for good.
Act now to help hens live a better life beyond bars.
The future of farming is cruel
- unless the UK Government acts now
Every year across the UK, millions of farmed animals are kept in cages, unable to express their natural behaviours and experiencing an unimaginable amount of suffering. These inhumane systems cannot be the future of British farming.
During their lives many of the animals will never have the freedom to move properly. Their cramped, often dirty, cages barely leave them room to move, to spread their wings and stretch their legs.
The UK is letting farm animals down, also risking its joint global leader status for animal welfare if it doesn’t act now for animals.
Example Rich Text
The future of farming is cruel - unless the UK Government acts now
Every year across the UK, millions of farmed animals are kept in cages, unable to express their natural behaviours and experiencing an unimaginable amount of suffering. These inhumane systems cannot be the future of British farming.
During their lives, many of the animals will never have the freedom to move properly. Their cramped, often dirty, cages barely leave them room to move, to spread their wings and stretch their legs.
Please add your details to the form and respond to the consultation today.
We need a ban on caging farm animals
In January 2026, we saw the UK, Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Ireland governments launch a crucial consultation on proposals to phase out all cages for laying hens and other farmed birds. This includes a proposed ban on any new cages from 2027, and an end to the use of all cages by 2032.
We need a ban on caging farmed animals!
In 2024 the Scottish Government launched a consultation to end the use of cages for laying hens and we believe the UK Government should follow suit (and include farrowing crates). We’d like to see the UK Government show its commitment to improving the welfare of farmed animals by launching a consultation to end the practice of using cages and close confinement systems in England within the first 6 months of parliament.
73% of the british public oppose the use of cages for hens and 67% oppose the use of farrowing crates.*
10 million laying hens live in restricted conditions
In the UK, ‘enriched cages’ are still permitted, housing around 10 million egg laying hens. Enriched cages provide just 9% more usable space per bird than conventional battery cages. They provide an unacceptably restrictive amount of space per bird, with usable space equivalent to a single sheet of A4 paper per bird.
Millions of pigs in cramped crates
It’s equally heartbreaking that about 6 million pigs reared for slaughter each year in the UK are born in farrowing crates. While the current cages consultation doesn’t include these, we will continue to campaign to end cages for sows and hope to see the UK Government consult on this soon.
Pig farrowing crates are barred, often barren, metal crates within a pen where pregnant sows are placed one week before giving birth. In the weeks the mother spends there, farrowing crates only allow her to stand up and lie down and completely prevent her from turning around or walking.
Over 200,000 sows every year are placed in farrowing crates before they give birth and remain there for the entire duration of nursing their piglets. With multiple litters a year, sows will often spend 10-15 weeks a year in these crates.
Millions of hens and pigs deserve better
In the UK, ‘enriched cages’ are still permitted, housing around 10 million egg-laying hens. Enriched cages provide just 9% more usable space per bird than conventional battery cages, which is an unacceptably restrictive amount of space per bird – equivalent to a single sheet of A4 paper.
Pigs, too, face these heartbreaking conditions. Each year, about 6 million pigs reared for slaughter are born in farrowing crates. These are barred, often barren metal crates within a pen, where over 200,000 pregnant sows are placed one week before giving birth, and will remain there the entire time she nurses her piglets. There’s only enough room for her to stand and lie down, preventing her from turning around or walking, with barely inches of forward or backward movement available. With multiple litters a year, a sow will spend 10 to 15 weeks a year in these confined crates.
The next step: give them room to take theirs.
*RSPCA Public opinion polling by Savanta in August 2024
Worried about a farm animal?
If you’re concerned a farm animal is experiencing cruelty or neglect, let us know and we’ll get them the help they need.
