RSPCA describes move as another “broken promise”.

The RSPCA has criticised the Government for abandoning a planned consultation on ending the use of cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs.

Last year, the Government announced that it was planning a consultation on the issue following a parliamentary petition which was signed by more than 100,000 people.

However, last month, in response a question about the consultation from a fellow MP, farming minister Mark Spencer revealed that the Government was no longer going ahead with it.

Mr Spencer said the Government did not believe that the time was right owing to “the challenges the laying hen and pig sectors are facing.”

Around 10 million hens are kept in cages in the UK, although the proportion of eggs coming from caged hens has fallen from 47 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017 to just 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2023. About 60 per cent of sows are kept in farrowing crates just before and after giving birth.

A new survey, commissioned by the RSPCA, found that 84 per cent of the public opposes laying hens being kept in cages. Although over half of the people surveyed hadn’t heard of farrowing crates, which are used to protect piglets from being accidentily crushed by the sow, when shown a photo, 78 per cent said they were opposed to them.

Emma Slawinski, director of policy at the RSPCA, said: “We are so disappointed to see the UK Government quietly dropping their promise to ban cages for hens and pigs this summer. This was the final straw following a litany of broken promises for animals.

“The UK Government says it remains committed to leading the world in animal welfare, but they have continuously back-tracked on vital animal welfare issues from pigs through to puppies.”

The RSPCA’s criticism of the Government over farm cages was made as part of a broader attack which listed 15 promises the charity accuses the Government of breaking.

The Government has defended its record on animal welfare in the farming sector.

A Defra spokesperson said: “We are proud to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.
 
“We continue to work with the sector to improve the production of healthier, higher welfare animals through our Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.”

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