Australian territory moves to ban battery hens
If new laws being drafted by the Australian political party Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Greens are adopted by the Assembly next month, the ACT will become the first Australian state or territory to ban battery egg production.
Greens MLA Dr Deb Foskey is overseeing final stages of a draft Bill to amend the ACT’s Animal Welfare Act to introduce a ban on keeping hens in battery cages, for both egg and poultry carcass production.
“We believe that by banning battery-egg production in the ACT, we can achieve a significant step forward for animal welfare,” Greens MLA Dr Deb Foskey said.
The ACT Government passed laws in 1997 banning production and sale of battery eggs but the agreement of all state and territory governments was required. This was not obtained because of concerns raised by a Productivity Commission report on the economic costs and trade advantage implications of the ban.
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