EU wants to ban the raising and keeping of animals in cages – in Finland, this will affect the breeding of chickens and pigs

The European Commission supports a civil initiative banning the so-called cage farming (raising and keeping animals in cages) throughout the European Union. In Finland, cage production is already phased out, but half of the laying hens and pigs on farms are still caged.

The petition “End the cage age” demanding an end to the keeping of animals in cages in the EU, has collected more than 1.4 million signatures of residents of the European Union. In Finland, 40,000 people have signed the petition.

The goal of the petition is to completely ban cage farming by 2027. The changes will affect the breeding of rabbits, young chickens, quails, ducks and geese. In total, around 300 million caged animals are raised in the EU every year.

The Commission notes that farmers will receive support in the form of government subsidies so that they can upgrade their equipment and receive modern training. It is also planned to establish an appropriate transition period for each country. The phased cage ban should be implemented differently for each animal species, taking into account their specific characteristics.

In Finland, the innovation will affect poultry and pig farms

Maria Lindqvist from the Union for the Protection of Animals Finland considers it important to make such a decision. According to Lindqvist, the EU strategy in Finland will affect the production of eggs, poultry and pork.

At the moment, half of the laying hens in poultry farms are kept in cages.

60-65 percent of the pig population is also raised in cages.