In Europe, hundreds of millions of farm animals spend most, or all, of their lives imprisoned in cages.
The European Citizens’ Initiative to End the Cage Age, supported by a network of over 170 organisations across Europe, calls for a ban on all cages for hens, sows, rabbits, ducks, geese and other farm animals.
Despite a cumbersome process the initiative, launched in September 2018, has by now collected the required one million signatures. It has already surpassed the minimum quotas in 16 EU Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
This is more than double the minimum number of EU Member States required by EU law for the initiative to be successful. The signature collection will continue until 11 September 2019. The results will then be submitted to the competent authorities in each Member State, who will validate the signatures.
Compassion in World Farming’s Head of EU Office Olga Kikou said: “Today, one million people gave their voice to the hundreds of millions of farmed animals in Europe that are imprisoned in cages for most, or all of their lives. Some of these poor animals cannot even turn around or lie down. We can – and should – do better than that.”
The European Citizens' Initiative was established in 2012 and allows 1 million citizens from at least one quarter of EU Member States (at least 7 different Member States) to invite the European Commission to propose a legal act in areas where the Commission has the power to do so.
The Brussels Times
