The Humane League took to the streets outside Parliament on Sunday 2 April to
protest against the roughly ten million hens currently kept in cages in the UK to
produce eggs.
The protest began at midday and was comprised of a group of roughly 20
employees and volunteers from the Humane League UK, all holding placards
promoting their message.
Matthew Chalmers, PR Coordinator for the charity said: “This is something
that even if you are still eating animal products, you can definitely get behind.
There is no reason to lock hens in a cage.”
Aside from caged farms for egg-laying hens, the UK also sees the production of eggs from barns and free range farms. Currently 35% of eggs produced in the UK come from hens kept in cages while the remaining 65% is comprised mainly of those from free range hens, and less than 1% are from barn farms.
In 2012 an EU ban on battery farmed eggs came into effect, ensuring farmers provide hens with more space and improved conditions. Since this ban, farmers overcame the issue of having to provide greater space for their hens by developing ‘enriched cages’. While more furnished and larger than their battery cage predecessors, they still are small spaces which restrict the natural behaviour of hens.
Many members of the public are unaware of this reality, and The Humane League handed out leaflets providing information about the current situation to help inform people. The leaflets also provided resources on how best to pressure the government into making this change.
The protest was targeted at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is yet to
ban this practice in the UK. Leaders in the EU and many other countries
around the world have already taken steps to enact this shift.
The Humane League is a not-for-profit organisation, dedicated to promoting
animal welfare and reducing the suffering of animals bred for the provision
of food.
