Political Influence
International Transition to Alternative Housing
When other countries began legislating the end of conventional cages, it changed the conversation in Canada too. International transitions set a precedent that made the status quo harder to defend domestically.
European Union
Minimal space allowances were the first form of regulation to spread throughout the EU.
In 2012 the European Union:
-
banned battery cages
-
set regulations around space in enriched cages
-
set stocking densities for cage-free systems.
​
Present Day: the EU requires that every housing system used must include nests, perches, and litter.
United States
Regulations related to space are set by the 2000 United Egg Producers guideline and audit program (Pelletier et al., 2018)(Zootecnica article).
​
Different states have different intiatives in place to transition to alternative housing systems.
Distribution of each laying hen housing types in Canada and internationally
(as of 2024)
Sources: (Animal Justice report) (EFC 2025 Report)
Role of Animal Welfare Advocacy Groups
The pressure to transition to cage-free in Canada has been largely driven by retailers and fast-food chains, which, notably, is the result of lobbying from animal welfare organizations and not necessarily consumers (Pelletier et al., 2018).
Some animal welfare advocate organizations claim that the majority of Canadians want the egg industry to transition fully away from all forms of caged housing systems, not just battery cages (Source).
Before consumer demand for better housing can be meaningfully measured, there is a more foundational gap to address: most Canadians cannot reliably distinguish between enriched, free-run, and free-range systems.
Why Does This Matter?
Once it is understood which types of welfare costs are associated with each housing system, then consumers can align their personal values to the appropriate system that best fulfills their definition of “good” welfare.