Free Hens

It’s time for our politicians to put the chicken before the egg and finally make caging hens illegal in New Zealand.

Hens are intelligent, inquisitive and socially complex animals with many behavioural needs. Sadly, over 1.2 million hens remain confined in colony cages in Aotearoa. These cages directly breach the Animal Welfare Act 1999, which requires that the physical and behavioural needs of animals be met. The overcrowded conditions of colony cages prevent hens from displaying normal patterns of behaviour and living a life free of unnecessary pain.

During 2021, SAFE worked tirelessly to free hens from cages, launching a petition calling on the Minister of Agriculture to ban the caging of all hens in Aotearoa. Thanks to all of you, the petition has so far reached 18,000 signatures and growing.

Together, we are leading the way to a cagefree future for all hens where they can live natural lives free from the stress and disease caused by confinement.

SAFE is excited to celebrate a ban on battery hen cages at the end of 2022.