What is the RSPCA doing to get hens out of battery cages?

The RSPCA works hard to improve legislation on layer hen welfare. These efforts are not always successful against the strength of other stakeholders, but it certainly makes a difference. The RSPCA and other animal welfare groups have worked together to bring an end to battery cages through changes to legislation and regulatory requirements.

The RSPCA was one of the stakeholders involved in the development of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry, which, once regulated, will replace the current Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Domestic Poultry. During this process, we successfully campaigned for battery cages to be phased out in Australia in favour of housing and management systems that improve the welfare of the hen by allowing her to perch, roost, dust bathe, forage and lay her eggs in a nest. By 2036, barren battery cages should be gone.

Another way that the RSPCA is helping to get hens out of cages is through public education and successful initiatives such as our Choose Wisely and Cage Free & Proud campaigns.

Choose Wisely is the RSPCA’s initiative encouraging and supporting cafes and restaurants to source products from higher welfare farming systems, such as cage-free eggs.

The RSPCA’s Cage Free & Proud campaign recognises the companies in Australia that are cage-free and proud. These companies are proving day that you can build a successful and profitable business based on good animal welfare; and that we can produce affordable, safe, healthy cage-free eggs on a large scale.

Over 80% of eggs sold in supermarkets are cage-free (barn-laid or free-range) eggs – a clear indication of consumer preference for eggs from layer hens not housed in cages.

RSPCA Certified works with producers committed to farming cage-free eggs to standards that go beyond legal requirements and are informed by science and evidence. Since the first RSPCA Layer Hen welfare standards were introduced in 1996, more than 1.4 million hens have been farmed to these higher standards, supporting better animal welfare outcomes.

Hens farmed to RSPCA Australia Standard have access to nests, perches, and litter for dust bathing, scratching, and foraging, as well as space to move and express natural behaviors. Whether housed indoors or with outdoor access, the focus is on meeting hens' behavioral and physical needs; battery cages are not permitted under the RSPCA standards.

By choosing RSPCA Certified products, consumers can support independently certified farming practices that prioritize improved animal welfare and contribute to better outcomes for farm animals.

There have been significant moves to get hens out of battery cages throughout the world, with the European Union (EU) taking the lead. From January 2003, no new battery cages were allowed to be installed in the EU, and from 2012, all hens were housed in cage-free or furnished cage systems where they have more space, a nest, somewhere to scratch their claws, a perch, and litter for dust bathing and scratching. In 2012, New Zealand committed to phasing out battery cages over the next decade, and in 2016, Canada committed to a phase-out of battery cages by 2036. Switzerland, Austria and Germany have banned all forms of cages, including furnished cages.

Scientific evidence shows that hens suffer when confined in battery cages. Restricted movement, lack of exercise, constantly standing on a wire floor, and no perches leads to severe bone and muscle weakness. This is in addition to the hens having most of their behavioural needs frustrated by a lack of environmental stimulation and enrichment.

Each type of housing system exhibits advantages and disadvantages in terms of hen welfare. However, the severe behavioural inhibition in battery cages is inherent to the cages, and not affected by management. It is widely acknowledged that battery cages cannot provide good welfare for layer hens. In Australia, public concern over the use of battery cages is consistently high and has increased further in recent years, with many consumers purchasing eggs from hens in cage-free systems.

Well-designed and managed alternative systems can provide good welfare for layer hens. There are also risks to welfare in cage-free systems, and good welfare is subject to robust animal welfare standards, appropriate housing conditions and good management practices. In addition to this, research is needed to optimise cage-free systems to ensure that birds remain healthy and robust and able to fulfil their behavioural needs.

The welfare of layer hens in battery cages is perhaps the most compromised of all farm animals, and the RSPCA will continue to pressure industry, government, retailers and food manufacturers, and raise community awareness to achieve a future where hens are no longer confined to battery cages.

In Australia, most people are buying cage-free eggs at the supermarket. Despite this, millions of layer hens are still confined to battery cages with many cage eggs served in cafes and restaurants and used as an ingredient in processed foods (e.g. mayonnaise or cakes). With the national Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry including a phase out of barren battery cages by 2036, now is the time for all state and territory governments to regulate the Standards and for all egg producers to transition to cage-free egg production systems. The longer this takes, the longer millions more intelligent, inquisitive and social hens will suffer, confined to barren battery cages.