Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

European Parliament overwhelmingly backs ban on caged animal farming

European Parliament overwhelmingly backs ban on caged animal farming

MEPs voted in favour of banning the practice of caged animal farming, with 558 in favour, 37 against and 85 abstentions.


The European Parliament is calling for a ban on caged animal farming, after voting overwhelmingly in favour to end the practice.

The idea originally came from a European Citizens' Initiative that was started in September 2018, which has so far gathered nearly 1.4 million signatures in at least 18 member states in support of animal welfare.

Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU and one of the citizens leading the ‘End the Cage Age’ petition told Euronews that some animals never leave their cages during their lifetime.

"We have estimated, and this is a very conservative number, that over 300 million animals, farmed animals, spend most of their life or their entire life in cages in Europe, every year."

Farmers and producers are following the debate with interest, as well as some apprehension.

If a ban did happen, a review of how farms are developed would be required, which could cost millions according to Pekka Pesonen, Secretary-General of the organisation that represents the industry, Copa Cogeca.

"These investments can easily cost hundreds of thousands of euros, if not millions...we are talking about major investments that you simply cannot just decide on how to go forward, on your decision. This is very much about the bank manager that actually is calling the shot, what you can do and what you cannot do," Pesonen told Euronews.

Copa Cogeca wants to work with the European institutions, but it feels that it doesn't have answers to every question, including the length of any transition period or the amount of financial aid that would be needed.

It also takes a dim view of the fact that the request is too vague and doesn't take into account the major differences in producing across the industry.

"What goes in the South of Europe is probably not the same as in the North of Europe. In my native Finland, we have down to 30, minus 30 degrees temperatures. So it's obvious for all of us that animals have to be in an enclosure to protect them from the elements. These adaptations, sectorial and specific production conditions are completely missing from the initiative," Pesonen said.

The organisation also points out that the disappearance of cages in the farm sector could increase production costs.

But Kikou and other animal rights activists say that this initiative is part of the Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy, which aims to reduce the environmental and climate impact of producing.

"With cage farming and moving away from cage farming, we hope that we will move to a more sustainable animal agriculture. And last but not least, we are absolutely certain that moving away from cage farming is very much in line with the Farm to Fork Strategy that this Commission endorses," Kikou told Euronews.

The vote by MEPs calls on the Commission to carry out an evaluation study, including how a possible transition period would work and be ready for implementation by 2027.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×