What is being done about egg laying hens in cages?
Cage sizes for layer hens is currently under review at National level to provide a minimum floor space of 550 sq cm per bird (previously 450 sq cm) by 1 January 2008. The Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ), comprising Australian, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers for Agriculture, requested a review in 1999 of the future of conventional hen cages and alternative layer hen housing systems. The ‘Review of Layer Hen Housing and Labelling of Eggs in Australia’ was the outcome. The Ministers subsequently agreed to a number of measures to improve hen welfare, including that all new cage systems commissioned from 1 January 2001 provide a minimum floor space of 550 sq cm per bird (previously 450 sq cm) by 1 January 2008. The Australian egg industry has since established a third party auditable quality assurance program which addresses issues including food safety, biosecurity, animal welfare and egg labelling and it is expected these aspe
