TORONTO, -- A new poll, conducted by UK-based Bryant Research in May, reveals a staggering 80% of Canadian respondents consider confining laying hens to "battery" cages unacceptable and 75% oppose the use of so-called enriched cages. Of the 1,000 Canadians surveyed, 79% agree that companies such as restaurants and grocery stores should ban cages in their egg supply chains. In an interview video, Mercy For Animals asked Torontonians whether they knew where their eggs came from, revealing the shock many consumers feel when they learn that the majority of hens in Canada — an estimated 83% — continue to suffer in cruel cage systems.
Mercy For Animals, one of the world's most effective charities working to end industrial animal agriculture, is announcing the launch of CageFree.ca to hold the Canadian egg industry accountable and encourage it to ban all cages for hens. CageFree.ca offers a holistic picture of the Canadian egg industry, including facts about how hens are raised, consumer preferences around this issue, and how the egg industry in Canada compares with that of other countries. The website and resources will help Canada take a big step toward improving animal welfare standards and help end the confinement of laying hens in cages across the country.
"Canada should be at the forefront of animal welfare, but it has fallen behind the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union in prohibiting the use of cages," said PJ Nyman, corporate policy advisor at Mercy For Animals. "With most companies committed to eliminating cages by 2025, Mercy For Animals' CageFree.ca makes a strong case for the egg industry to move toward completely banning cages."
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