Czechia to ban hen cages by 2027
After years of debate, Czech farmers will no longer be allowed to keep hens in cages. In 2020, Czechia passed a law banning the cage farming of laying hens, with the ban set to take effect in 2027. Similar measures have already been implemented by several other European Union countries.
One of the farms that will be affected by the legislation is in Kosičky, in the Hradec Králové region. New halls for hens were previously built only after sufficient funds had been saved, a process that could take up to five years. To comply with the new legislation, however, things must be done differently. The operators of the halls in Kosičky must carry out reconstructions, with each one costing up to CZK 60 million.
Jan Pozdílek, director of the company in the region, spoke to Czech Radio about some of the challenges:
"We have to rebuild six halls in six years. But it’s not just about the laying halls, it’s also about the rearing houses, because young hens that are about to start laying eggs must already be kept in a cage-free housing system so they can get used to moving around in it."
In 2020, when the obligation became law, they wanted to rebuild two halls at once in Kosičky. But they did not receive a subsidy for this, which was only intended for smaller projects.
Since then, they have been renovating one hall in Kosičky every year in order to obtain at least some state or European funding, but this also has its pitfalls. Pozdílek continues:
"We have to build the hall using our own resources, and once it’s been approved, it goes through a control process. After that, we receive a lot of stamps, and only then can we apply for a subsidy retroactively."
A quarter of a million hens
They’re not quite finished in Kosičky yet; one hall still remains. At the same time, they have around a quarter of a million hens in total. The final cage hall will house about 60,000 laying hens. They can keep them there until December 31, 2026, but as of January 1, 2027, not a single hen may remain in a cage.
"Unfortunately, we are dealing with animal slaughter, and there are very few facilities available for it. As a rule, the animals are transported abroad, to Germany and Poland, but by the end of 2026, capacity will be completely exhausted. This already indicates that the animals should be removed from storage during September and October," adds Pozdílek.
If 60,000 hens have to be culled in Kosičky, it will result in significant additional losses for the company. About five million eggs from Kosičky alone would be missing from the market.
According to Jan Pozdílek, the new government is unlikely to change the situation, despite the difficulties, and the law will remain in effect.
