The notion that chickens – both those used as laying hens and those intended for eating – deserve better, more humane living conditions is not a new one. Thus was the ‘cageless’ movement hatched. Now, Sweden has stepped forward as a global leader…
Sweden has banned the use of cages on all poultry farms in the country. The issue has been a con-tentious one for decades among animal rights advocates and cost-conscious farmers. But Sweden is also especially notable for having been talking about it for more than 50 years.
Lengthy debate…
The issue dates back to 1988 when the Swedish Parliament first promised to ban cages. But action has long been delayed due to pushback from the egg industry, which failed to comply with the initial ban. The latest version of the ban finally passed the Swedish Parliament in principle thanks to con-tinual advocacy, public campaigns, and corporate dialogue.
“Sweden being free from cages is hugely significant for the hens and a victory for everyone who has stood by their side,” said Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882, the group behind the public advo-cacy push..
According to a recent update at FoodBeast, “Project 1882 has worked with over 85 major retailers and food service operators to remove cage eggs since 2008, gradually convincing key industry players to reduce the number of hens in cages. These efforts have resulted in 17 million hens being freed from cages. Project 1882 now has its sights set on the larger European Union. It is rallying support for the European Citizens’ Initiative, ‘End the Cage Age’,” which would ban cages across the EU.”
Alas…
The cage ban has not been written into any sort of binding legal mandate as yet. Still a voluntary effort. Though it now has the vast majority of industry players behind it.
My take
There is still much work to be done to materially improve the daily lives of commercial, battery-raised chickens. But the recent boom in the popularity of chicken in the Fast Food sector hasn’t helped any of the players in the industry push their respective positions ahead significantly.
And the expense involved in freeing the chickens from their highly restrictive cages will only add to the cost of the increasingly popular animal protein choice. Make no mistake: cost and sustainability will continue to pose perhaps insurmountable barriers to the continued viability of raising chickens and eggs for human consumption…
I think… Either we all get together on this issue or all agree to disagree on it if we’re to move forward smoothly or efficiently into an increasingly meat-unfriendly future.
~ Maggie J.