The largest European Citizens Initiative of all time

"Exit the cages" / "End The Cage Age" ends with 1.5 million signatures

Thursday, September 12, 2019 -

90,313 of Belgians signed the petition: they no longer want farm animals locked in cages.

The biggest European petition for the protection of farm animals stopped its counter shortly before midnight last night (11 September at 23:59).
The European citizens' initiative "Exit the cages" has collected more than 1.5 million signatures in the European Union in 12 months.
In Belgium, at GAIA's initiative, the petition was signed 90,313 times.
Much more than the 15,750 Belgian signatures needed.
"We set the bar at 1.3 million signatures; the movement eventually raised 1.5 million, "says GAIA President Michel Vandenbosch.

The citizens' initiative "Exit the Cages" aims to ban the use of cage systems on European farms. Every year in the EU, up to 370 million animals are kept in cages, which causes them a lot of suffering.
A cruel reality that also affects some 4.15 million animals in Belgium.
For example, 39% of all Belgian laying hens (3.7 million) are still reared in so-called "managed" cages. With little more space than an A4 sheet, chickens have no place to move, stretch, take care of their feathers, search the ground, take baths of dust, run or fly. ..
This extreme confinement and excessive densities prevent basic natural behaviors, such as flapping wings.
All of these restrictions lead to frustration and compulsive neurotic behavior.
Lack of exercise can also cause physical problems, such as weakened bones.

The biggest citizen initiative of all time

In order to put an end to cage farming, mainly used in intensive breeding, 170 European organizations, including GAIA, decided to launch a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). And successfully: in total, more than 1.5 million signatures have been collected (paper signatures continue to arrive, which means that the total number will probably be even higher).
This number far exceeds the goal of one million valid signatures.
A result achieved through an unprecedented coalition of animal welfare organizations and environmental organizations.
Better yet: it is the first European Citizens' Initiative that manages to collect as many signatures.

"The ICE for the end of breeding cages in Europe is the largest and most collaborative campaign on animal welfare of this generation.
It demonstrates how important the welfare of animals, including farm animals, has become for citizens. Not only in Belgium, but throughout Europe! ", Observes Michel Vandenbosch.
Belgium, with a total of 90,313 signatures, finished fourth after the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Belgium.

In order to collect as many signatures as possible in Belgium, GAIA launched the "Exit Les Cages" campaign last October. The organization has dedicated its summer tour on this subject and was able to count on the support of "Cage Fighters" engaged as Kevin Borlée, Bénédicte Philippon, or Herman Brusselmans and Herr Seele.
"This is the largest socio-political initiative ever undertaken for the welfare of farm animals," says Vandenbosch.
"It is now up to the European Commission to make the changes requested by EU citizens. The cage systems are cruel. We can not accept them anymore.
They must disappear. "

Since the entry into force of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011, which set out the details of the procedures and conditions applicable to the European Citizens' Initiative, four initiatives have been successfully presented to the Commission.

A European Citizens 'Initiative is an official EU initiative to inform European legislators of citizens' concerns - a unique tool for change.
Each signature is subject to a verification process.
Upon receipt of the final signatures, the European Commission will carefully examine the Exit the Cages initiative.

Within 3 months of receiving the initiative:

- Commission representatives will meet the organizers to explain the issue in detail;
- The Commission will adopt a formal reply in which it will outline the measures it plans to take in response to the Citizens' Initiative and the reasons for which it will do so;
The initiative will be the subject of a plenary hearing in the European Parliament, possibly followed by a vote.

Note to editors:

Since the entry into force of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011, which set out the details of the procedures and conditions applicable to the European Citizens' Initiative, four initiatives have been successfully presented to the Commission.

A European Citizens 'Initiative is an official EU initiative to inform European legislators of citizens' concerns - a unique tool for change. Each signature is subject to a verification process. Upon receipt of the final signatures, the European Commission will carefully examine the Exit the Cages initiative. Within 3 months of receiving the initiative:

- Commission representatives will meet the organizers to explain the issue in detail;

- The Commission will adopt a formal reply setting out the measures it plans to take in response to the Citizens' Initiative and the reasons for which it will do so;

- The initiative will be the subject of a plenary hearing in the European Parliament, possibly followed by a vote.