Closed petition Increase the minimum usable cage area per laying hen from 600cm² to 1,693cm²

Closed on 19 January 2022

Laying hens are legally allowed to be kept in 'enriched' cages together, the total area of the cage must be so that each hen has 600cm² usable space. We believe it is inhumane to keep these sentient animals in their current conditions, and the minimum usable space should be increased to 1,693cm².

For context: the area of an A4 sheet of paper is 624cm². Research has found that hens require 1,316 (± 23) cm² to turn around and 1,693 (± 136) cm² to stretch their wings (Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119360699#:~:text=The%20floor%20space%20required%20per,2%20(87%20in2)%5D).

Animal welfare is more important than the profit margins of big egg producers. Egg producers already keeping their hens in conditions which allow them to turn around and stretch their wings would not be affected.