European Commission officials have yet to deliver on a promise made in 2021 to ban the use of cages for farmed animals, a delay that follows a wave of meetings with the livestock sector rather than with animal‑rights groups.

The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) called "End the Cage Age" gathered more than 1.4 million signatures and backing from over 170 organisations, urging a complete prohibition of cages for hens, rabbits, quail, ducks, geese, pigs and calves. A 2023 Eurobarometer poll showed that 84 % of Europeans want better welfare for farmed animals and 60 % would even pay more for it. The European Food Safety Authority has also advised against cage systems for broiler chickens and laying hens.

In response, the Commission announced it would propose legislation by the end of 2023 to phase out, and eventually prohibit, cage use. The European Parliament subsequently voted overwhelmingly in favour of the initiative. Yet the deadline passed, and the ban was omitted from the Commission's 2024 work programme.

Organisers of the ECI have taken the matter to the Court of Justice of the EU, seeking to hold the Commission accountable. The case remains pending.

Industry meetings dominate the agenda

Since taking office in December 2024, the health and animal‑welfare commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi, has held 60 meetings on animal‑welfare issues. Investigative outlet Follow the Money reports that only nine of those meetings, just 15 %, involved civil‑society actors such as the ECI organisers and NGOs without commercial interests in cage‑free farming.

The remaining 51 meetings were largely with representatives of the meat, dairy and poultry sectors, the very industries that would bear the cost of ending cage farming. An official quoted by Lighthouse Reports said that after these consultations, the Commission's attitude towards the legislation became "extremely negative".

Requests for details of the meetings were denied by the Commission, which argued that disclosure could expose the decision‑making process to "external influences". Animal‑rights lawyer Anna Mulà Arribas criticised the refusal, noting that the lack of transparency makes it impossible to assess how the Commission balances industry pressure against the wishes of the millions who signed the ECI.

Political reactions and the road ahead

"If animal welfare is genuinely a priority, Europe's first animal‑welfare commissioner must listen to animal‑welfare organisations and compassionate, nature‑friendly farmers, not only to profit‑driven agribusiness lobbyists," said Debbie Tripley, global campaigns director of Compassion in World Farming, which spearheaded the ECI.

Members of the European Parliament have also voiced concern. Anja Hazekamp of The Left warned that the Commission's current timetable only covers laying hens and sows, leaving ducks, geese, quail, rabbits and calves without any concrete proposal. She added that Várhelyi's "close ties with the industry" signal a lack of ambition for animal‑welfare reform.

In its recent livestock strategy, the Commission announced a review of animal‑welfare rules for hens and broilers in 2026 and for pigs in 2027, with a draft bill on chickens expected by the end of the year. Critics argue that these steps are too narrow and that the broader ban promised by the ECI remains absent.

The situation highlights a broader tension within EU policy‑making: the need to reconcile public demand for higher standards with the lobbying power of entrenched agricultural interests. While the Commission cites the risk of undue influence as a reason for secrecy, the pattern of meetings suggests that industry voices have already been granted significant access.

For European consumers, the delay means that the majority of the 300 million farmed animals kept in cages across the bloc will continue to live under conditions opposed by a large share of the public. For workers in the sector, the prospect of a transition to cage‑free systems raises questions about costs, competitiveness and the need for support measures to avoid job losses.

Union representatives have called for a clear timetable and financial assistance for farmers willing to switch to higher‑welfare systems, arguing that without such support the industry will resist change and the EU will miss an opportunity to lead on sustainable agriculture.

As the Court of Justice case proceeds, the Commission's next moves will be closely watched by both animal‑rights groups and the agribusiness lobby. Whether the EU will finally align its legislation with the public's strong appetite for better animal welfare remains uncertain, but the pattern of industry‑heavy meetings suggests that any breakthrough will require a shift in the balance of influence inside Brussels.