In September 2018, Compassion launched the End the Cage European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to end the use of cages in animal farming in the European Union (EU). Within one year, the organisers of the ECI, with the support of more than 170 non-governmental organisations across Europe, collected 1.4 million signatures from supporters throughout the EU. The Commission set out plans for a legislative proposal by 2023 to prohibit cages for a number of farm animals.
Every year, nearly 300 million farmed animals in the EU spend their lives trapped in cages – unable to move freely, stretch their limbs, or express natural behaviours. The system is not only cruel, it is unsustainable. The Commission’s delays have prolonged this suffering of millions of sentiment beings who continue to be confined in cages across Europe.
As a result, in March 2024, the Citizens Committee of the ECI launched a landmark legal action against the EC at the European Court of Justice of the EU over its failure to act on its commitment, ignoring the demands of 1.4 million EU citizens.
Without the promised legislative proposal, the phasing out of animals in cages in the EU remains on hold, and animals continue to suffer in the millions. The current scale of cage confinement remains extensive. As of 2024, approximately 38% of the EU’s laying hens (155 million hens) are still housed in cages. The situation is more severe for other species: an estimates 94% of farmed rabbits (72 million individuals) and 96% of breeding sows (10 million pigs) are kept in confined conditions for much of their lives.
Going forward, the Commission must act urgently to fulfill its commitment and introduce binding legislation to phase out cage systems across the EU. Only through decisive policy action can the EU end this widespread animal suffering, ensure sustainable farming practices, and uphold the democratic voice of its citizens.