The global shift from battery to cage-free egg production is the largest farm animal welfare transition in history. Understanding its challenges ensures the transition delivers genuine welfare improvements.
The cage-free egg transition represents an extraordinary opportunity to improve welfare for hundreds of millions of laying hens globally. However, poorly managed cage-free systems can produce worse welfare outcomes than well-managed enriched cages. The transition must be accompanied by investment in stockperson training, enrichment provision, and management systems that address the welfare challenges of cage-free keeping. Consumer willingness to pay for higher-cost cage-free eggs enables the investment required. The goal is not simply cage-free but genuinely higher welfare - a distinction that requires ongoing scrutiny and accountability.