TIME’S UP: Write to Defra to Ban Cages Now!
In January 2026, Defra launched a public consultation proposing a ban on keeping laying hens, pullets and breeder layers in cages. Viva! joined thousands of concerned individuals and organisations in calling for a complete and permanent ban.
Seven months later, we are still waiting for the Government’s response.
Whilst seven months might not sound long amid the glacial pace of policy change, it has been a particularly turbulent time for British politics. A new prime minister brought another changing of the guard at Defra and a reshuffle of responsibilities within the team. Dame Angela Eagle has returned as Secretary of State and Jenny Riddell-Carpenter has taken on a new role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature and Rural Affairs).
While politicians have been playing their own game of thrones, more than seven million hens have remained trapped inside dark industrial sheds. In these same seven months, these hens have already endured around a third of their entire lives in confinement. Bred and manipulated to lay 20 to 30 times more eggs than their wild ancestors, their bodies are pushed beyond their natural limits. When their productivity begins to fall, the industry disposes of them—usually at just 18 months old.
This cruelty must end, and we urgently need your help.
The return of Dame Angela Eagle is a welcome step towards stability but she will be working through a long list of unfinished work from her predecessor, alongside Jenny Riddell-Carpenter who will be defining an entirely new role. The more of us who contact them, the harder it becomes to ignore the millions of hens still suffering in this barbaric system.
Please send letters to them both today by simply filling in your details below.
