Progress: over 50 000 fewer caged hens in one year
According to the latest statistics from the Swedish egg industry, the proportion of hens kept in cages has decreased to two percent in 2023. This also means that for the first time in modern times, fewer than 200,000 hens are now kept in cages in Sweden – a reduction of more than 57,000 hens since 2022. However, the rate of reduction is slowing down, pending political decisions.
– Project 1882’s work on corporate responsibility is making a real difference, and we are now witnessing large companies phasing out their very last cage eggs in the coming year. But the progress is too slow. Now the politicians must act for a comprehensive cage ban to ensure we reach the end of the road, says Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882.
When Project 1882 started working to phase out cages 15 years ago, about 40 percent of the laying hens in Sweden were kept in cages. As more companies have chosen to remove cage eggs from their products, the figure is now down to less than two percent. This reduction has saved more than two million hens from being kept in cages in Sweden.
Food retailers and consumers have been removing caged eggs from their purchases for several years, and the continued phase-out has resulted in more than 50,000 hens being cage-free in 2023. However, eggs from caged hens are still hidden in ingredients and in pharmaceutical productions, and policy decisions are needed to tackle these issues.
– We have been promised a comprehensive EU ban on cages, following the successful citizens’ initiative “End the Cage Age”. In addition to putting pressure in the EU, Swedish politicians also need to make decisions at home on a cage ban this year, concludes Benny Andersson.
Project 1882 has sent a public complaint about the European Commission’s broken promises to the European Ombudsman and is awaiting a response.
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