IEEP estimates that 141.3 million laying hens are still kept in cages and calls for a CAP focused on farm transition

Approximately 141.3 million laying hens in the European Union were still kept in cage systems in 2025, equivalent to 35.5% of the total flock, according to an analysis published by the Institute for European Environmental Policy. The report examines how the Common Agricultural Policy could be used after 2027 to finance the transition to cage-free systems and finds that support explicitly dedicated to this change remains limited in current national plans.

In brief, IEEP estimates that 141.3 million laying hens, or 35.5% of the EU total, were still kept in cages in 2025. The authors identified 136 schemes under the current CAP related to animal health or welfare, of which 17 concern the poultry sector and eight explicitly mention cage-free systems for laying hens. Romania is among the six countries analysed. The figure of 49.5% used in the report for Romania refers to hens raised in barn systems, not to the share of hens kept in cages. The authors propose a clear European timetable for eliminating cages and species-specific national plans, while CAP support would be concentrated on investments that produce a genuine change in the production system. The report was commissioned by Humane World for Animals and received financial support through the LIFE programme. The analysis includes desk research and ten interviews in six countries and does not represent a legislative proposal by the European Commission.

The egg sector has changed significantly over the past two decades, following the EU ban on conventional cages for laying hens. European legislation nevertheless continues to allow enriched cages, alongside barn, free-range and organic systems, while the pace of transition varies greatly between countries.

The IEEP report uses data for 2025 and estimates that almost two-thirds of laying hens in the EU are already kept outside cages. However, the remaining 35.5% still represents more than 141 million birds, making any complete elimination of cages a major investment for farms that need to modify their buildings, equipment and production systems.

The authors analysed six countries to assess how the current Common Agricultural Policy is being used in this transition. Romania is included alongside other markets with different production structures, allowing comparisons between countries where the move to cage-free systems is more advanced and those where the necessary investments remain greater.

In Romania’s case, the report indicates a 49.5% share for barn systems. This figure does not represent the percentage of hens kept in cages and cannot be used on its own to calculate the size of the Romanian sector that would need to be converted. Barn systems are already cage-free systems, even though the birds are raised inside buildings.

The analysis of the current CAP identified 136 schemes that include measures concerning animal health or welfare. Only 17 are linked to the poultry sector, while eight explicitly refer to cage-free systems for laying hens. The resulting picture is of an agricultural policy that can finance animal welfare through several instruments, but in which the transition away from cages has not yet emerged as a separate and uniform objective across all countries.

Investments may be supported through rural development measures, payments linked to welfare practices or other interventions included in national strategic plans. However, the way these instruments are used differs from one country to another, because the current CAP gives governments considerable discretion in selecting interventions and beneficiaries.

The report proposes reducing this fragmentation after 2027 through a clear European timetable and national plans for each species targeted for the transition to cage-free systems. In the laying-hen sector, funding could be used to convert facilities, adapt buildings and cover other investments needed by farms that cannot absorb the cost of the transition on their own.

However, the authors do not recommend that every conversion be automatically paid for from public funds. They argue that support should focus on changes that would not normally occur through market incentives alone and on investments that go beyond simple compliance with minimum requirements.

This approach also takes account of differences between farms. The cost of converting an operation depends on its size, buildings, equipment, access to land, the system chosen and the ability to continue production while the work is carried out. The report brings together estimates from existing literature but does not establish a single European cost for eliminating cages.

Retailers and food producers have already influenced the transition in some countries through commitments to purchase only eggs from cage-free systems. Where commercial demand covers a sufficient share of the additional costs, the need for public money may be lower. In other regions, smaller farms or markets where the price difference is limited may face greater difficulties in financing the investment.

This context explains why IEEP links the future CAP to market operation. Public support would complement private investment where conversion requires additional financing, and the instruments should be designed so that farmers know in advance which investments will remain eligible and within what timeframe they must be completed.

The discussion is linked to the European Union’s broader commitment to animal welfare. Following the European Citizens’ Initiative “End the Cage Age,” the Commission announced its intention to propose the gradual elimination of cages for several categories of animals. Such a legislative change and the way the transition of farms would be financed are distinct processes: welfare rules establish production conditions, while the CAP can determine whether and under what conditions investments receive public support.

The IEEP report addresses precisely this second aspect of the issue. It does not introduce a new obligation for farmers and does not establish a legal timetable for eliminating cages. The recommendations concern preparations for the CAP after 2027 and negotiations on the framework under which countries will be able to provide funding to agriculture.

The authors combined an analysis of CAP documents and schemes with ten interviews conducted in the six selected countries. The findings describe existing instruments and the experiences of the interviewees, without demonstrating that any particular funding scheme alone determined the pace of transition in a country.

The report was commissioned by Humane World for Animals, an organisation that supports the elimination of cage-based farming systems. IEEP also specifies the financial support received through the European Union’s LIFE programme, while the conclusions and recommendations belong to the authors.

For Romania, future CAP negotiations will determine what types of investments can be funded and under what conditions. The scale of support required cannot be established solely from the current share of different farming systems: it will depend on the number and structure of farms still using cages, the costs of conversion and the timetable the European Union ultimately adopts for new animal-welfare legislation.