In a thorough review of how the Animal Welfare Act is handled, new data reveals a long road ahead for ensuring minimal respect for animals raised on farms in Spain and across Europe. A recent ranking lists all 27 EU member countries by the percentage of livestock kept in cages. Spain appears with a staggering figure, showing more than 86 million caged animals, representing 87 percent of animals raised on farms in the country. The report also identifies Spain as the nation with the highest absolute number of cattle kept in confinement.
By 2021 the European Union committed to banning agricultural cages and is currently revisiting all animal welfare regulations. Organizations working on animal welfare say this presents a historic opportunity for member states to move away from factory farming and to align existing laws with scientific insights and public expectations.
According to the new leaderboard, Malta ranks last with 99 percent of livestock in cages, while Spain, Portugal, and other leaders show 87 percent and 81 percent respectively. Italy sits at 59 percent, and Germany at 13 percent. Even countries with lower cage usage, such as Austria at 3 percent and Luxembourg at 2 percent, face hundreds of thousands of animals kept in cages.
caged animals CIWF
Efforts to prevent sheep and cattle from suffering during long journeys and slaughter at distant destinations call for legislation to ban livestock exports. More than a billion fish suffer annually in the EU’s long-distance production systems. Compassion in World Farming, CIWF, calls for laws that protect animal well-being every year, urging action now.
While several European countries are progressing toward cage-free agriculture, none are fully cage-free yet. Across the EU, roughly 300 million pigs, chickens, quails, ducks, geese, calves, and rabbits remain in cages throughout their lives, often in severe conditions with limited movement. Many animals endure painful mutilations without anesthesia, such as beak trimming in chickens.
They call for an end to cages for all animals CIWF
Patricia de Rada, a representative for CIWF in Spain, notes that Spain leads in the number of caged animals and cites statements by the Minister of Agriculture supporting a gradual move away from cages, while excluding certain species like rabbits. The message is clear: EU countries must rethink animal welfare laws to reflect scientific findings, public demand, and the ethical treatment animals deserve: compassionate farming that harmonizes with nature rather than opposes it.
There is a plea for citizens to write to the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, urging him to champion the EU Commission’s plan to ban cages for all species and safeguard farm animals from needless suffering. The appeal frames this as a pivotal moment for animal protection and seeks proactive political support.
Actor Alan Cumming mobilizes Europeans
Spain’s advocacy adds momentum to an EU campaign for stronger animal welfare laws, supported by the actor Alan Cumming. The campaign highlights the horrors faced by farm animals across Europe and directly invites EU citizens to contact their national agriculture ministers, urging them to back a cage ban and new welfare standards.
Speaking on behalf of a broad audience, Cumming has emphasized that the welfare of billions of animals hangs in the balance and that history could be made by ending factory farming. He urged people to engage with ministers to ensure animals receive a life worth living.
Both the scientific community and EU citizens have expressed support for measures to improve welfare standards. Recently EFSA, the EU’s independent scientific body, confirmed that the welfare conditions for laying hens and chickens raised for meat need improvement.
The discussion also tracked whether a move away from gestation crates for sows is part of the broader reform, with a coalition of about 1.4 million European citizens and numerous environmental, consumer rights, and animal protection groups backing CIWF’s petition to end the cage era.
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