Hen colony cages slated

Replacing layer cages with "enriched" cages will do little for hen welfare, according to Wairarapa's largest egg producer.
A recommendation to phase out current cages in favour of so-called enriched or "colony" cages was put to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in a draft code by a government animal welfare advisory body this week.
The enriched cage, which is used in some European countries, is larger than the current cages and features a perch, nesting box and scratch pad.
But Darren Perry, chief executive of Masterton company Henergy, said a slightly less cramped cage was not going to solve any welfare issues.
"All they're really saying is let's put more birds in a cage and put a bit of astroturf in the corner and throw in a few trinkety toys for them to play with."
He said his company was against cages in any form and had been completely cage-free since 1995.
"We don't approve of cages regardless and you'll never see a cage on our farms. We philosophically disagree with them."
He said nationally over 70 per cent of people claimed they did not agree with battery farming, but when it came to doing the shopping over 80 per cent of eggs sold were battery eggs.
However, in Wairarapa that figure was reversed, with 70 per cent of all eggs sold being cage-free.
"Wairarapa is the one place in the country that actually does what it says it will. We don't agree with battery eggs and we don't buy them."
He said it was "much cheaper" to produce caged eggs but for him that was not the point.
"Milk would also be cheaper if we farmed dairy cows in a cage and never let them turn round."
Egg Producers Federation chairman Michael Guthrie said although he did not believe current cages were cruel, colony cages would better allow the birds to show natural behaviour traits.
However, he said producers would need up to 20 years to make any transition to the new cages if the code was made law, as current cages could not be retro-fitted to become enriched ones.
"In most cases you'll have to build new sheds, and in some cases you'll have to find a new site."
Green Party animal welfare spokeswoman MP Sue Kedgley said all cages should be banned. She compared the practice to sow crates, which the Government is phasing out by 2015.
"There is no excuse in the 21st century to imprison millions of hens in barren cages where they suffer continuously, and cannot even stretch their wings."
But Mr Guthrie said if cages were banned egg prices could double, as free range and barn producers currently provided just 12 per cent of total eggs consumed.
Submissions on the Draft Code of Welfare for Layer Hens will close on March 25.