Food companies get behind 'End the Cage Age'

19-Mar-2021 - Germany

EU citizens are calling for the abolition of cages in European agriculture through the European Citizens' Initiative "End the Cage Age". Today, leading companies from the agri-food sector are sending a joint letter to the European Commission and MEPs in support of this cause.

The letter is signed by ALDI Nord, Barilla Group, Fattoria Roberti, Ferrero, Inter IKEA Group, Jamie Oliver Group, Le Groupement Les Mousquetaires, Mondelez International, Nestlé, and Unilever. They all emphasize with and in their letter that ending caging of laying hens is not only possible, but also makes economic sense, especially in the EU. The letter states, "Cage-free systems are widespread, make economic sense and offer hens better living conditions."

Moreover, it says, the timing is ideal: the revision of EU animal welfare legislation - currently in preparation - offers the perfect opportunity to abolish cage farming in the EU. Laying hens are to make a start. "We are ready and willing to share our expertise and work together to achieve this goal," write the signatories.

"Many companies have already adopted or are in the process of transitioning away from caged hens in their supply chains," says Mahi Klosterhalfen, president of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Environment. "It is high time for the EU to catch up legally now. Inhumane cage farming belongs only in the history books."

With this letter, the companies support the aims of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "End the Cage Age". The initiative calls for the abolition of caging for farm animals across the EU. Currently, around 300 million animals in EU agriculture live in cages. The Albert Schweitzer Foundation launched End the Cage Age on 11 September 2018, together with 170 other European NGOs. One year later, the initiative had collected 1.4 million verified signatures. It is thus the first ever successful ECI dedicated to the welfare of animals in agriculture.

The letter from the companies is addressed to: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for the European Green Deal; Vice-President Vera Jourová, responsible for Values and Transparency; Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development; the Chairmen of the European Parliament's Agriculture and Petitions Committees, Norbert Lins and Dolors Montserrat.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1170306/food-companies-get-behind-end-the-cage-age.html