Advocating for a Ban on Cages for Layer Hens in Scotland

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Ten minutes to speak up for ~4.5 million caged chickens, published by Ben Stevenson on June 24, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
(You can read this post as a Google Doc. You might find this easier to share with animal-sympathetic non-EAs. Also: I work at Rethink Priorities, but I'm writing in a personal capacity.)
A few weeks ago, I shared some suggested responses for a Defra consultation on welfare labelling. I was really pleased to hear that many EAs and animal rights advocates wrote in to support the proposal. I'm now sharing a similar opportunity: ~ten minutes of your time to speak up for ~4.5 million caged chickens.
If you want to help, you have less than 48 hours to get this done!
What's the public consultation?
The Scottish government is running a public consultation on their proposal to ban cages for layer hens. Agriculture is a devolved power so Holyrood have responsibility for Scottish animal welfare.
Let's be clear: cage-free chickens have dramatically better lives than caged chickens. Liberating caged chickens alleviates a great deal of suffering.[1]
Over 80% of Scottish layer hens are already cage-free. A greater proportion than across the whole UK, this is a testament to hard work from animal welfare campaigners.
Nevertheless, a ban still seems really important:
Corporate commitments might not last forever. A ban can lock in campaigners' hard-won victories and pre-empt businesses backsliding
Corporate commitments and welfare schemes might not always be met or enforced. A recent investigation from Animal Rising revealed that at least one English farm kept chickens in cages despite being RSPCA Assured. We could have greater trust that chickens are truly free from cages if they were banned
The pro-animal movement will have another win, which builds political momentum for our cause. The Scottish government notes that Luxembourg and Austria have already banned cages; that Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are phasing them out; and that Australia aims to ban cages by 2036. If Scotland is attentive to other governments' bans, then other governments might pay attention to a Scottish ban
18% of Scottish layer hens are still so many - over a million - birds. None of them deserve to live their whole life condemned to a cage.
The government are considering three options:
1. 2030 ban on enriched cage production
2. 2030 ban on installing new cages, and 2034 ban on enriched cage production
3. "Information campaign aimed at consumers to encourage all retailers who have not signed up to the retailer pledge and caterers to commit to stop stocking/selling eggs or egg products from enriched cages by 2034"[2]
Option (2) is the default because the government thinks this best balances improving bird welfare and supporting the egg industry. This proposal is what the public consultation is about.
I think pursuing (2) rather than (1) is really disappointing. Four more years of cages means up to 4.5 million layer hens will live their lives behind bars.[3] And there are only fifteen farms currently keeping caged layer hens in Scotland; do they really need four more years of warning? An instant ban on installing new cages and a 2030 ban on all enriched cage production seem eminently reasonable to me.
How you can help
You can access the public consultation here and submit your response by 25 June 2024. You don't have to be Scottish to respond.
The consultation is divided into several pages. Only the 'About you' page is necessary.
Page
This is about
Number of questions
Animal welfare
Will a ban on cages help chickens express natural behaviours and improve other welfare outcomes?
2 questions
Policy proposal
Do you agree with the proposal?
5 questions
Capital costs
Estimating cost to convert cage farms to cage-free
1 question
Production costs
Estimating cost per egg under c...