Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: SAFE For Animals
The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) has confirmed that the poultry codes of welfare will be the next to be reviewed. This includes the codes of welfare for layer hens, chickens bred for their meat, and breeder birds.
SAFE has been calling for an urgent review of the layer hens code of welfare as it currently allows for the use of colony cages.
Colony cages breach the Animal Welfare Act 1999, which states animals must have the ability to perform normal patterns of behaviour. One cage can house up to 80 hens, where the space allowed for each hen is no larger than a piece of A4 paper.
SAFE Campaigns Manager Jessica Chambers said NAWAC’s reputation is at stake.
“If NAWAC does not recommend banning colony cages, it calls into question its authority as an animal welfare body,” said Chambers.
“Recommending a ban on colony cages is NAWAC’s opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to their role, which is to prioritise animal welfare and to honour the Animal Welfare Act.”
“With 76% of kiwi’s opposed to the caging of hens and leading supermarkets removing cage eggs from their supply chains, legislation in Aotearoa is falling behind.”
International trends show colony cages are either already banned or are being actively phased out across large parts of Europe and the USA.
“Millions of hens are suffering in colony cages that should never have been legal in the first place.”
“SAFE will continue to campaign for the freedom of these birds and ask that the public sign our petition calling for a total ban on the cruel caging of hens in Aotearoa.”
SAFE is Aotearoa’s leading animal rights organisation.
We’re creating a future that ensures the rights of animals are respected. Our core work empowers society to make kinder choices for ourselves, animals and our planet.
– Colony cages are either already banned or are being actively phased out in parts of Europe, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark, Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic and the Walloon Region of Belgium. In the USA, ten states have already banned the sale and production of cage eggs.
– In June of 2021, the European Union Commission announced plans to ban the caging of farmed animals by 2027. A move that will free over 300 million animals from cages across the EU.
– The majority of Aotearoa’s leading egg purchases in the foodservice industry have pledged to remove cage eggs from their supply chains. This includes all leading supermarkets (Pak ‘N’ Save, New World, Countdown and Fresh Choice), major food service groups and popular restaurant chains.
– SAFE has been calling for an urgent review of the Layer Hens code of welfare as it currently allows for the use of colony cages – even though colony cages breach the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act 1999.
– The Act states animals must have the ability to perform normal patterns of behaviour, something hens in colony cages do not have the opportunity to do. Currently, 1.2 million birds are confined in colony cages across the country.
– In the last year, over 2600 thousand kiwis have written to NAWAC asking for the code of welfare for hens to be reviewed and for a recommendation to be made to ban colony cages.
