Politics · 22 December 2025
England to Ban Hen Cages and Pig Farrowing Crates in Landmark Animal Welfare Reforms
Photo by NighthawStudio on Unsplash
The UK government announced major animal welfare reforms on December 22, 2025, including phasing out cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs by 2030. According to the campaign group Compassion in World Farming, the strategy will benefit over 7 million hens and 150,000 pigs annually. Currently, around 21% of the UK's egg-laying hens are housed in restrictive enriched cages, which can provide a space per bird comparable to an A4 sheet of paper, while approximately 60% of mother pigs are confined in farrowing crates where they cannot turn around.
Reported by Guardian · How we write briefs