EditCampaigners erect cage outside EU Commission as five-year-old cage ban pledge goes unfulfilled
MEPs attending the event took bolt cutters to the cage in a symbolic demand that the Commission finally act
Animal welfare organisations today staged a visual stunt outside the European Commission building in Brussels on Tuesday, erecting a cage to mark the fifth anniversary of the Commission’s unfulfilled commitment to propose legislation banning cages for farmed animals.
Inside the cage, actors styled as Commission staff sat around a table surrounded by piles of paperwork – a visual representation of five years of stalled legislation. Under a banner reading “Uncage the legislation”, MEPs attending the event took bolt cutters to the cage in a symbolic demand that the Commission finally act.
In 2021, the Commission issued a public communication announcing a comprehensive animal welfare legislation revision and proposing a ban on cages by 2023. This commitment was made in response to the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative signed by 1.4 million people across the EU – one of the most supported European Citizens’ Initiatives in history. The revision was postponed several times and citizens are still waiting for the legislative proposal to be delivered.
“Millions of hens, pigs and other animals in the EU suffer in extreme confinement every single day. EU citizens have made it clear, repeatedly, that they want this to stop. This cruel treatment has no place in a modern society that values animal welfare. A five-year delay is not acceptable,” said Kirsty Henderson – President of Anima International, the event organiser.
Since the 2021 announcement, the Commission has tabled legislation on just one issue concerning farmed animals: live animal transport. The End the Cage Age Citizens’ Committee have filed a legal challenge against the Commission at the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to comply with its ECI obligations. The Court held an oral hearing in this case in March 2026 and the legal process remains ongoing.
“The Commission is taking steps, but it has missed its own deadlines before, so we are watching closely,” Henderson continues. “If the Commission takes the citizens’ mandate seriously, and if it genuinely cares about animal welfare, it will propose this legislation in 2026. Anything less is a democratic failure.”
Tilly Metz, an MEP and Honorary President of the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals, commented on the event:
“It’s our duty as MEPs to represent the people who elected us, and those people care deeply about animals. The European Citizens’ Initiative exists for exactly this purpose: citizens led the way, and Parliament stood with them when we voted overwhelmingly in favour of ending cages. Yet here we are, five years later. Legislation that should already exist still does not, and millions of animals are paying the price. We call on the Commission to bring forward legislation to end cages without further delay.”
The action was organised by Anima International, an animal advocacy organisation operating across Europe, on behalf of the End the Cage Age coalition.
Article based on press release by Anima International.
Caption: Inside the cage, actors styled as Commission staff sat around a table surrounded by piles of paperwork – a visual representation of five years of stalled legislation. [Photo credit: Andrew Skowron / Anima International]
Updated: June 30, 2026 - 15:59
