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Welsh Government
Welsh Government
01/12/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/12/2026 04:28
Laying hen welfare: proposal to ban keeping laying hens, pullets and breeder layers in cages
We want your views on proposals to introduce a ban and phase out the use of cages in the UK's laying hen sector.
Consultation ends:
9 March 2026
Consultation launched:
12 January 2026
Consultation description
We are specifically seeking views on proposals to:
- ban the use of enriched 'colony' cages for laying hens, pullets, and breeder layers.
- phase out the remaining conventional 'battery' cages used in laying hen units with fewer than 350 birds.
The proposed options include:
- a ban on the installation of new enriched 'colony' cages from 2027, followed by a complete ban on enriched 'colony' cage production from 2032
- a 2027 ban on the instalment of new enriched 'colony' cages, leading to a 2037 ban on enriched 'colony' cage production
- a 2030 ban on the instalment of new enriched 'colony' cages, leading to a 2034 ban on enriched 'colony' cage production
- a complete ban on enriched 'colony' cage production in 2030.
This is a joint consultation between the Welsh, UK, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments. It is led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
This consultation is being held on GOV.UK
First published
12 January 2026Last updated
12 January 2026
Welsh Government published this content on January 12, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 12, 2026 at 10:29 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]