Shift to cage-free for hens in the EU continues

The number of laying hens in the European Union increased by 1% in 2021. Existing and new farms are steadily shifting to non-cage systems under legislative pressure and the weight of public opinion. The European Commission publishes annual statistics on the number of laying hens and the farming systems used in the now 27 member states of the EU (which excludes the UK since Brexit). Every country is obliged to pass on its national data to the block’s statisticians in the framework of EC regu