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Government pledge to outlaw battery hen cages is NOT under threat Many constituents were worried by a recent national newspaper claim that the Government’s pledge to outlaw battery hen cages was under threat. Its certainly not. As I’ve said before in this column, how we treat animals has always been an important concern for North East Somerset people. That’s reflected in my postbag - every day. So the Government’s decision to ban the practice of making egg-laying birds live in tiny cages by 2012 was warmly welcomed across our area. I’m pleased my ministerial colleague, Secretary of State Hilary Benn, acted quickly after the mischievous report appeared - making it clear the Government is NOT backing down on banning battery cages. Some national newspaper stories have the flimsiest of foundations. This was one of them. Like many Somerset Guardian readers, I only ever buy free-range eggs. The millions of people who insist on free-range eggs has created strong consumer pressure on farmers to act. But, nonetheless, sometimes Government still has to create new animal welfare laws. So the practice of keeping hens caged, sometimes with a tiny space smaller than a sheet of A4 paper, will rightly be banned within two years. Please do let me know your views on animal welfare: dan@dannorris.org.uk Written for the Somerset Guardian January 2010
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