On June 17, Sweden celebrated a historic milestone.
“After decades of determined work, there are no longer any hens kept in cages in Sweden,” Project 1882, a global animal justice league, said in a press statement. “Sweden is also the only country in the world that has become cage-free without a legal ban.”
That’s not to say that Sweden doesn’t have humane farming legislation. Compared to European Union law, Sweden does have stricter legislation when it comes to how many chickens farmers can raise per plot of land.
Specifically, EU law mandates that farmers can have 42kg/m2 (roughly 46 chickens per 10 square feet) the Swedish law says they can only have 36kg/m2 (39 of chickens per 10 square feet).
Chickens are also protected under Sweden’s Animal Welfare Act, which specifies that animals used for farming “shall be housed and provided with food, water and care…appropriate to their physiological and ethological needs.”
But when it comes to cage-free practices, Benny Andersson — the CEO of Project 1882 — said that this latest milestone is a victory that comes at the heels of grassroots activism and public pressure from consumers, not government legislation.
“Since the 1980s, more than 85 companies, from retail to foodservice, have taken a stand against cage eggs following our discussions,” Andersson told Food Ingredients First.
“These corporate commitments have played a crucial role in eliminating cages from Swedish egg production. This progress is also possible for other regions, even though we would have preferred a legal ban already in the 80s.”
Andersson added that Sweden’s shift sets a “a powerful example for the rest of Europe.”
“It demonstrates that NGO animal welfare advocacy drives real change,” Andersson emphasized. “It also proves that retailers, restaurants, and food companies can make a difference for the animals, even when politics fails.”
For Andersson, and Project 1882 at large, this milestone is just the beginning.
“F&B companies have a big responsibility toward the animals that are kept on factory farms. Cage-free commitments are one step in the right direction, but more is needed,” Andersson said.
“Project 1882 is now focusing heavily on ‘Frankenchickens,’ urging companies to adopt the European Chicken Commitment as a new minimum standard.”
The European Chicken Commitment, which began as the UK Better Chicken Commitment, is a six-point welfare policy that urges global food companies — such as KFC, Nando’s, and Burger King — to commit to better standards of chicken care in regards to housing, stocking density, slaughter, and methods of breeding.
That includes breeding restrictions that curb the aforementioned “Frankenchicken” crisis.
“Frankenchickens” are chickens that are genetically-engineered to grow beyond their natural weight, to the point of intentional malformation.
According to Kate Parkes, a poultry expert at the RSPCA — the largest animal welfare charity in the U.K. — the standard organic chicken grows to its desired weight in 81 days. But fast-growing “Frankenchickens” reach their weight for slaughter in just 35.
“They generally spend most of their time either sitting or eating,” Parkes told the BBC. “It's not much of a life.”
As Project 1882 pushes forward to secure better welfare for chickens across Europe, farmers and business owners throughout Sweden are taking a moment to rest on the laurels of their latest milestone.
In fact, for Björn Olsson, who operates the family-owned farm Viking Fågel, cage-free farming practices don’t just entail extending coops outward — it means extending them upward as well.
“Consider how you feel when the ceiling is just above your head, and when it’s 10m high,” Olsson posed to Swedisness. “Which makes you feel better?”
Header image via Washington State Department of Agriculture (CC BY-SA 3.0 US)
