Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on banning the use of caged hens in egg production.

The conventional ‘battery’ cage for laying hens was banned in 2012. The current enriched ‘colony’ cages provide more space for the hen, a nest area, litter, perches and claw shortening devices. All permitted housing production systems for laying hens have their strengths and weaknesses, or offer some compromise on the different key elements of animal welfare. We have no plans to ban the use of enriched ‘colony’ systems in egg production.