96% of public think cages are unacceptable and a fifth were unaware farm animals were still kept in cages

The RSPCA is urging the next UK Government to pledge to ban cages for millions of hens and pigs within their first 100 days in office.

About 30% of the UK’s hens and 60% of adult female pigs (sows) suffer in cages. 10 million hens spend their entire lives in cages with roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper allocated to each bird and 200,000 sows are put in farrowing crates just before giving birth and for around four weeks after their piglets are born. These metal crates are so small that the sows can’t even turn around.

A survey commissioned by the RSPCA and carried out by the Social Market Foundation found that 96% of people are against pigs being kept in farrowing crates and 94% are against hens being kept in cages. RSPCA Assured, the RSPCA’s farmed animal welfare assurance scheme which does not allow cages, also revealed a fifth of people (21%) mistakenly think that hens are no longer kept in cages.

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: “Keeping laying hens and pigs in cages is an outdated and cruel practice which restricts their movement and doesn’t allow these sentient animals to express their natural behaviours.

“These inhumane systems cannot be the future of British farming. During their lives, many of these animals won’t have the freedom to move properly. This year, the Scottish Government launched a consultation to end the use of cages and we believe the UK Government should follow and show they are also committed to making farm animal welfare a top priority.

“Intensive farming is the biggest animal welfare issue facing the country today and we want to see an end to intensive, lower welfare farming completely. As a first step, we are now calling on the next UK Government to listen to the public to pledge to ban cages in England in their first 100 days in office.”

Enriched cages for egg-laying hens only provide each bird with a small space, roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Conventional battery cages were banned in Europe in 2012 but these were  replaced with ‘enriched’ cages which only offer a limited space of around 750cm2 per bird.


As well as a commitment to consult on banning cages for farm animals, the charity also wants to see future MPs work towards a commitment to protect and prioritise the welfare of all farmed animals https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/voteforfarmanimals. Cruel, intensive farming practices is the biggest animal welfare issue today due to the sheer scale of suffering, as animals are subjected to poor conditions, including inadequate living spaces, and inhumane treatment.

According to an RSPCA survey, the Kindness Index 2024*, over eight out of 10 people (84%) believe that animal welfare should be protected through legislation and 64% of people believe the Government is responsible for ensuring the welfare of farmed animals, showing that animal welfare is a priority to the public and it is up to elected representatives to ensure action is taken and their prospective constituents’ voices are heard.

The RSPCA would like to see the next Government work towards:

   1.   A Clear Vision for the Future of Livestock Farming: The Government  should set up a review of farming to undertake a species-specific redesign of livestock farming systems. This animal-first approach should identify what healthy animals, with good welfare characteristics, need to live a good life. A system which ensures they can live a good life can then be developed. This should also be nature-positive. Transition plans using legislation or subsidy incentives should then be developed to deliver that vision.

   2.   Support for Higher Welfare Farming Practices: Encouraging and supporting farmers in England to adopt higher welfare farming practices, and ensure the budget  for financial incentives and resources for those who transition to higher welfare farming systems is maintained at its current financial level.

   3.   Strengthening Legislation: Laws must be strengthened to improve welfare standards on farms, including ending the use of cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs, and providing farm animals with more space and dairy cattle with access to pasture. There is currently no specific legal protection for salmon, trout, turkeys, dairy cattle, beef cattle, ducks or sheep and where legislation does exist for other farm animals species this is too low to adequately safeguard their welfare.

   4.   Transparency and Labelling: Consumers should have clear information about the welfare standards of the animal products they purchase so that they can make informed choices and support higher welfare producers. The incoming Government must respond to the labelling consultation which was completed last month during its first year and take forward measures to implement mandatory method of production labelling.

These calls come as the RSPCA marks its 200th birthday and 200 years of speaking up for farm animal welfare.

Chris added: “Farm animal welfare has been an integral part of our rich history over the last 200 years, from creating the first ever animal
welfare law to protect cattle from cruelty right up until last month when live exports were finally banned in Great Britain after more than 50 years of campaigning.

“Animals are arguably facing some of the biggest challenges of the past two centuries as climate change, loss of wildlife, cost of living and the pandemic take their toll. The growth of industrial farming presents one of the most pressing threats to animals, with the scale of suffering of chickens reared for their meat, who live often unbearable lives, presenting the single biggest animal welfare issue in this country and around the world. We know we have a long way to go but we will continue to speak up for every kind of animal and raise standards to improve the lives of every farm animal now and in the future and we urge the next Government to do the
same.”

To encourage your prospective MPs to prioritise farm animal welfare, visit:
https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/voteforfarmanimals

For more information about farm animal welfare and the RSPCA’s work, please
visit: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/farm