This week, MEPs debated a citizens’ initiative to ban the use of caged farming in the EU. The public hearing was organised jointly by the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Petitions Committees on the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘End the Cage Age’, which has been welcomed and supported by Agriculture Committee chair Norbert Lins. “Animal welfare can be improved in the EU,” he said. “It is of utmost importance that before planning any radical shift [to fully cage-free housing], we need to analyse the cost of such a change [and] think about providing sufficient financial support, compensation or other incentives to the farmers.”