05.12.2012

The New Zealand Government will phase out battery cages for egg farming and ban them from 2022, under a new Code of Welfare.
From the 7 December, no new battery cages can be installed on New Zealand farms.
The Animal Welfare (Layer Hens) Code of Welfare 2012 will allow layer hens to be kept in colony cages, a larger cage system that meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, or in barn or free range systems. Over 80 percent of New Zealand eggs are currently laid in battery cages. The Code was developed by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), an independent committee set up to provide expert animal welfare advice to the Minister.