On Thursday, the Saeima of Latvia rejected the proposed amendments to the Animal Protection Law, which provided for a ban on keeping laying hens in cages.
Here are the opinions expressed during the debates about the fate of hens in Latvia:
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I cannot support the bill, as "the industry itself is already moving towards abandoning cage farming of hens." It is necessary to allow the industry to reform itself, and for consumers to make choices in stores.
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Animals are living beings, so it is necessary to provide them with conditions that meet their biological needs and do not cause suffering.
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The pre-election period is not the best time to make changes to the Animal Protection Law.
As previously reported, the amendments proposed to abandon cage systems for laying hens and establish as a minimum welfare standard the keeping of birds in barns or other non-cage systems. The authors emphasized that the bill does not prohibit egg production as such, but only changes the requirements for animal husbandry.
The economic justification for the bill noted that the ban with a transition period would affect a relatively small part of the industry — about 6% of laying hen production capacity, as the largest producers have already begun or plan to complete the transition to non-cage systems by 2030. During the transition period, it was proposed to utilize existing state and European investment support programs to improve animal welfare.
Several agricultural and industry organizations, including the influential association "Farmers' Union," opposed the initiative.
