The RSPCA will today give evidence to the NSW Upper House Inquiry into the use of battery cages in the egg industry, calling for the Select Committee to heed the overwhelming evidence that battery cages cause immense suffering for layer hens and should be phased out.
In its submission to the Inquiry, the RSPCA expressed its disappointment to be once again debating the use of battery cages, despite decades of evidence proving that battery cages cause psychological and physical suffering to layer hens.
Importantly, the Australian community has also expressed its concern for layer hen welfare numerous times, including through a record-breaking 167,000 submissions to the draft Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry in 2018.
Australia is lagging significantly behind internationally when it comes to the use of battery cages, which have been phased out across 28 nations of the European Union, with commitments to phasing out cages also in place in New Zealand and Canada.
The RSPCA urges the Committee to listen to the views of the community, to act on the scientific evidence base, and to recommend a legislative phase out of existing battery facilities over a reasonable timeframe.
You can read the full RSPCA Australia submission to the Inquiry here: http://bit.ly/2YR6Cs0
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