Devon MP backs calls to end suffering of hens
AWESTCOUNTRY Conservative MP has given her support to a Private Members’ Bill that would see cages for laying hens banned in the UK.
Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, attended a reception in Parliament hosted by Henry Smith MP focused on banning cages for laying hens in the UK.
‘Beatrice’s Bill’, also known as the Hen Caging (Prohibition) Bill, is Mr Smith’s Private Members’ Bill launched in September last year and named after the rescue hen at the centre of a campaign coordinated by Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, The Humane League and RSPCA which aims to see the UK end cages for egg-laying hens.
Its backers say ending cages for laying hens will secure numerous benefits, including: Higher welfare standards through ensuring hens have more space to perform natural behaviours such as nesting, foraging and dust bathing; Greater consumer confidence through lowering food safety risk. Cage free hens suffer from lower rates of diseases; Closer alignment with the sentiment of UK business. All major retailers have now committed to going cage free by at least 2025, and many have already made this transition; Closer alignment with the sentiment of UK consumers. The Beatrice’s Bill campaign petition attracted more than 91,000 signatures after just six months, reflecting a deep public concern for the welfare of British hens.
Ms Saxby said: “The campaign to end cages for laying hens in the UK is something I wholeheartedly support.
“We must act now and end the suffering of the 16 million laying hens in the UK who are raised in tiny cages each year, with hardly enough room to stretch their wings. By ending this suffering, our legislation can be more closely aligned with what the wider British public and I am sure the people of North Devon want.”
The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is a national charity based in Devon that saves around 55,000 hens from slaughter every year and rehomes them as family pets.
Jane Howorth, founder of the charity, said: “We believe all laying hens deserve to enjoy a natural lifestyle which includes space to roam on open pasture, enjoyment of fresh air and sunshine, the ability to scratch for insects and the opportunity to lay an egg in a nest – and we’ve been working hard since 2005 to make that a reality for as many laying hens as possible.
“Our ultimate hope for all hens in the UK is that they have the chance to free range and we need consumers to help us make that happen. We believe that by working with farmers, and encouraging more people to buy free range or organic eggs, we will lessen the demand for caged eggs, which has been dropping for several years already.”
‘By ending this suffering, our legislation can be more closely aligned with what the public want’ SELAINE SAXBY