The global transition to cage-free egg production is the largest farm animal welfare shift in history, bringing both welfare improvements and new challenges that require active management.
The cage-free transition demonstrates that welfare improvement is not automatic with system change — it requires active management of the welfare challenges that new systems introduce. Battery cages prevented natural behavior and movement, creating profound welfare deprivation. Cage-free systems allow these behaviors but introduce feather pecking and keel bone fracture risks that can cause significant suffering if not proactively managed. The gap between poorly managed cage-free systems and well-managed ones is large enough that some poorly managed cage-free systems may not improve welfare over battery cages. Welfare improvement requires both the right system and the right management within it.