§ Mr. RentonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will take steps, along with his EC colleagues, to ban the rearing and keeping of hens in battery cages.
§ Mr. SoamesIt is already the Government's policy that the current battery cage design, in which only feeding and drinking facilities are provided, must be phased out on a Community basis. We will press for this when the Commission's proposals for the revision of the battery hens directive and new standards for hens kept in alternative systems are negotiated.