Europeans unite against barren battery cages

The charity erected four human-sized barren battery cages each crammed with five red headed women to symbolise the plight of hens (usually red in colour!) reared in barren battery cages and to raise awareness of the ban. The “hens” even tweeted about their experience from the cages. Joining the charity in its call to action was TV presenter Bill Oddie and author Victoria Connelly.

European citizens united across Europe to defend the most important piece of animal welfare legislation in the history of the EU. Sixteen other member organisations*, in 14 different EU countries of Compassion’s coalition, the European Network for Farm Animal Protection (Enfap), also staged public events and hand-ins of letters to Polish embassies and agricultural ministries in their own countries. The actions took place in Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, and Bulgaria, amongst other Member States. A substantial number of supporters in Poland is protesting to the Polish Government over their attempts to secure a postponement of the ban.

The EU barren battery cage ban enjoys widespread public support: over 30,000 supporters have taken action resulting in more than 20,000 emails being sent to the UK Government and 16,000 to the Polish, Spanish and Italian Governments. A further 65,000 postcards are due to arrive at the EU Agriculture Council over the Easter period from supporters from all over the EU. In each case the message is that there should be no postponement or weakening of the EU ban on barren battery cages and the sale of barren battery cage eggs.

Typically in Europe, four or five hens are packed into each barren battery cage and the dimensions of the human cages in Trafalgar Square were representative of the amount of space each hen would have in this system. These cages are so small and bare that the hens are denied their most basic behavioural needs: simple things such as rolling in dust, scratching for food and flapping or even stretching their wings. Each hen has less space than the size of an A4 piece of paper in which to stand for their entire adult lives.

Despite having had up to 12 years to prepare for the ban, the Polish Government is calling for a delay because they feel they are not ready to make the move. Compassion in World Farming’s The Big Move campaign believes these asks are unacceptable from a country like Poland, which has had eight years to prepare, and aims to ensure the proposed ban goes ahead across the EU on 1 January 2012 without any delay or exceptions. Any delays could undermine the ban.

Members of the public were invited to join the “battery cage experience” by spending 10 minutes confined in one of the cages with four other people, barely being given enough space to move.

Bill Oddie said: “It is horrendous that hens are confined barren battery cages. EU countries have had up to 12 years to prepare but some countries are wavering. If a decision is now undermined it will be truly outrageous. The ban must go ahead.”

Michele Danan, Head of Public Affairs at Compassion in World Farming, said: “This landmark piece of legislation will save millions of hens every year from a barren and brutal existence.

“Requests for delays, like the one from Poland, can weaken the political resolve at EU level and are dangerous if not counteracted by strong public pressure. Compassion staff and our supporters have all worked so hard to get this ban in place, we don’t want to look back this time next year and feel that we didn’t do everything possible to defend it.”

After the demonstration, supporters marched to the European Commission to hand in a petition.

To defend The Big Move and find out more about the campaign, visit www.thebigmove.org or contact Compassion in World Farming on T: 01483 521 950 E: supporters@ciwf.org.uk