Dirty cages, global threats: millions of hens suffer worldwide

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 06. 17. 10:50

A recent international report has revealed that more than thirty-five countries keep laying hens in crowded, dirty cages – a practice that not only violates animal welfare, but also poses serious public health risks, especially due to the spread of bird flu – writes Agrarszektor.

The Open Wing Alliance – a global coalition of nearly a hundred civil society organizations – has been investigating the conditions of chicken farms around the world for three years. The footage and testimonies taken during the investigation paint a shocking picture: cramped cages, injured or dead animals, and unhygienic conditions that are a hotbed of disease – all this despite the fact that many countries and food companies have previously committed to eliminating cage farming.

“This is not just an ethical issue: overcrowding and dirt create the perfect environment for the spread of diseases, including bird flu,”

– warns Ellie Ponders, director of the Open Wing Alliance. The latest outbreak has already spread to humans, particularly on farms where workers had direct contact with infected animals.

The report found that the same serious deficiencies were found in many parts of the world, including ten EU member states, as well as in Asia, Africa and the Americas: the birds are unable to stretch their wings, have no access to natural light and are often kept in the same cages as dead birds.

Although the European Union banned traditional cages in 2012, so-called “enriched” cage systems are still allowed. These provide some flexibility but do not solve the fundamental problems, said Mia Fernyhough, OWA’s animal welfare director.

The WHO has previously warned that industrial animal farming is also a critical point from an epidemiological perspective. The organization’s 2022 report said the increasing frequency of global epidemics is partly due to intensive agricultural systems.

The End the Cage Age coalition estimates that around 300 million farm animals – including chickens, rabbits, ducks and geese – are currently kept in cages in the EU alone. The European Commission has pledged to eliminate all cage farming by 2027, but the Open Wing Alliance says significant progress is still needed – not just in Europe but globally.