Photo: Getty ImagesAnimal welfare group SAFE have launched a campaign asking for colony cages to be banned in New Zealand. "They can't perform their normal behaviours, which basically means that colony cages are in breach of the Animal Welfare Act." But Poultry Industry Association and Egg Producers Federation executive director Michael Brooks said colony cages were cost effective for companies and consumers. Agriculture minister Damien O'Connor said the government had no plans to ban colony cages at this stage. The code of welfare for layer hens was developed by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and took into account international best practice, O'Connor said.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 13, 2021 03:45 UTC