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Key Takeaways:<\/p>\n
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- The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is building a new $15.6-million poultry research facility designed to house approximately 6,000 hens, including hens kept in \u201cenriched\u201d cages.<\/li>\n
- Enriched cages are highly cruel. Each hen receives roughly the space of a legal-size sheet of paper, limiting her ability to move freely and perform important natural behaviours such as foraging and dustbathing.<\/li>\n
- Cage-free housing is becoming increasingly common around the world. Thousands of companies have made cage-free commitments, several jurisdictions have banned cages, and 72 percent of Canadians support a national ban on caged housing for laying hens.<\/li>\n
- The project is receiving $6.2 million from the federally funded Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Animal Justice is calling on CFI and USask to ensure public research funding supports 100 percent cage-free housing rather than investing in cage infrastructure.<\/li>\n
- Animal Justice is urging USask to remove cages from the facility\u2019s plans and build a truly forward-looking research centre that prepares Canadian students and researchers for a cage-free future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
When the University of Saskatchewan (USask) announced plans for a new $15.6-million poultry research facility earlier this year, it was presented as an investment in the future of Canadian agriculture. The 24,000-square-foot facility will house approximately 6,000 hens. University administrators and industry representatives have framed it as a \u201cfirst of its kind\u201d project in North America that will position USask as a global leader in poultry research and animal welfare. However, the facility\u2019s design includes caged housing\u2014the most widely criticized practice in animal agriculture.<\/p>\n
By building cages into a new facility, USask risks continuing to research and support outdated and cruel farming practices for decades to come.<\/p>\n
Modernizing agricultural research infrastructure might sound positive on the surface. However, a look into the proposed plans reveals a troubling disconnect. Rather than looking ahead to the transition towards cage-free housing<\/strong>, USask is investing millions into increasingly obsolete infrastructure by including \u201cenriched cages\u201d in their facility plans.<\/p>\n
The project received a $6.2-million investment<\/a> from the federally funded Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Additional funding is being provided by Saskatchewan Egg Producers and the University of Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\nThe Myth of \u201cEnriched\u201d Cages<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Cage confinement is among the most widely criticized practices in animal agriculture. Enriched cages are still cages, and are rapidly disappearing around the globe.<\/p>\n
The industry often markets enriched cages as a humane alternative to conventional battery cages. But this is a dangerous mischaracterization. Enriched cages<\/a> still allow for horrifying suffering. Each hen receives space no larger than a legal-size sheet of paper on wire flooring, with severely restricted movement.<\/p>\n
Whether in conventional battery cages or enriched cages, hens are subjected to high rates of illness, injuries, and death.<\/p>\n
Even the National Farm Animal Care Council\u2019s (NFACC) current Code of Practice acknowledges that enriched cages fail to support the core behavioural needs of hens, such as dustbathing and foraging. Furthermore, the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare<\/a>\u2014an industry-led working group\u2014has clearly stated that no cage system allows hens to express essential natural behaviours. Placing hens in slightly larger cages with minor additions does not create high-welfare farming. It simply perpetuates confinement under a softer PR label.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Animal Justice has formally urged USask administrators to reject this industry spin and commit to housing that reflects the current animal welfare science.<\/p>\n
Out of Step with Global Standards & Market Realities for Cage-Free Housing<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
By committing funds to cage infrastructure, USask and the CFI are further positioning Canada as an international outlier in animal welfare research.<\/p>\n
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- Global Bans:<\/strong> Cages are already outlawed across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and 11 US states, with many jurisdictions banning the sale of caged eggs entirely. Countries like the UK (79 percent cage-free), the EU (62 percent), and the US (45 percent) are rapidly transitioning, while Canada languishes at just 20 percent.<\/li>\n
- International Trade Risks:<\/strong> The European Commission\u2019s EU Livestock Strategy is moving to phase out cages entirely<\/a> while introducing equivalent import requirements for trade. Canadian producers risk facing severe non-tariff trade barriers if research and infrastructure fail to prioritize cage-free housing.<\/li>\n
- Corporate Sourcing:<\/strong> Over 2,600 global companies\u2014including more than 130 in Canada\u2014have pledged to source 100 percent cage-free eggs.<\/li>\n
- Canadian Consumer Sentiment:<\/strong> Major Canadian stores report that eggs from enriched cages account for a mere 2 percent of sales, despite making up a third of inventory. Meanwhile, 72 percent of Canadians support a national ban on all cages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If the global standards and markets are moving away from cages, why should Canada\u2019s future researchers be trained around them?<\/p>\n
Investing in the Future Means Preparing for What Comes Next<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
A university research facility is not simply a snapshot of today\u2019s agricultural industry. It is infrastructure that will shape what researchers study, what students learn, and what technologies are developed for decades.<\/p>\n
Students graduating from USask will enter careers in a rapidly evolving global market. They need to understand cage-free systems, emerging welfare standards, changing consumer expectations, and international trade requirements. Students need hands-on experience with cage-free housing to gain skills that are internationally relevant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Canada\u2019s NFACC Layer Code of Practice is scheduled for a major review in 2027. Committing millions in public and institutional funds to cage infrastructure right before national standards undergo revisions is extremely short-sighted.<\/p>\n
By building cages into a new facility, @usask risks continuing to support research into outdated and cruel farming practices for decades to come \ud83d\udc4e <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
The Role of Public Funding<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
This is also why the involvement of the CFI matters. CFI is contributing $6.2 million in federal funding to the project. The organization describes its investments as supporting research infrastructure that strengthens Canada\u2019s capacity for innovation, global competitiveness, and transformative research. It is fair to ask how building new infrastructure around housing that is increasingly being phased out internationally advances those goals.<\/p>\n
Animal Justice formally reached out to the CFI to demand accountability for public research dollars, urging the Foundation to withhold funding unless the facility is designed to be 100 percent cage-free. The Foundation replied, but has indicated no willingness to alter its funding terms.<\/p>\n
Global leadership requires looking ahead. Governments, scientists, corporations, and consumers are increasingly moving toward cage-free production. Canadian researchers and students should be equipped to lead that transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
- International Trade Risks:<\/strong> The European Commission\u2019s EU Livestock Strategy is moving to phase out cages entirely<\/a> while introducing equivalent import requirements for trade. Canadian producers risk facing severe non-tariff trade barriers if research and infrastructure fail to prioritize cage-free housing.<\/li>\n
- Global Bans:<\/strong> Cages are already outlawed across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and 11 US states, with many jurisdictions banning the sale of caged eggs entirely. Countries like the UK (79 percent cage-free), the EU (62 percent), and the US (45 percent) are rapidly transitioning, while Canada languishes at just 20 percent.<\/li>\n
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