In rare unanimity, coalition and opposition deputies proposed to abandon the keeping of hens in cages, writes Ir. However, entrepreneurs warn: the import of cheap eggs will increase!
In Latvia, about 60% of more than 4 million laying hens are still kept in cages. However, eggs laid in cages are cheaper, and price is the main criterion for choice for most buyers. Therefore, the poultry industry opposes the idea of a complete ban on keeping laying hens in cages in Latvia.
But the initiative is supported by politicians: a bill has been submitted to the Saeima, which proposes to phase out the keeping of hens in cages over five years. It has been signed by representatives from both ruling and opposition parties: Andris Šuvaev and Leila Rasima ("Progressives"), Jānis Patmalnieks ("New Unity"), Andris Kulbergs ("United List"), and Ramona Petraviča ("Latvia First"). However, the bill is currently stalled in the Saeima's Economic Committee, which has not forwarded it to the plenary session, having requested additional data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The organization "Dzīvnieku brīvība" ("Animal Freedom") is puzzled as to why there is resistance to the amendments in the committee, as it had seemed until now that the industry itself was preparing for such changes even without a law.
The market leader is the company "Balticovo", which has invested over 100 million euros in building new hen houses. They house about 2 million hens - half of all the laying hens of this company. According to the enterprise, the cost of eggs after the transition will increase by about 20%. In an optimistic scenario, the old chicken houses with cages are planned to be renovated by 2027. Therefore, the company expresses support for the bill if compensations are provided to ease the transition.
"Balticovo" produces about 80% of the eggs in Latvia, while about 15% of the market belongs to the Alūksne poultry factory. This company has also committed to phasing out the keeping of hens in cages, where about one-fifth of the birds are still kept. Next year, the factory will build new hen houses, reducing the percentage of caged hens to 15%. However, the company cannot yet specify the exact timeline for a complete phase-out of cages and does not support the amendments to the law, as the transition period is too short and there is no compensation mechanism.
As a result, residents will suffer.
The law will prohibit keeping hens in cages in Latvia, but it will not prohibit the sale of eggs laid in cages. This means that store shelves will be filled with eggs from third countries, which are not subject to such strict quality standards, the company notes.
