In the News

Newcastle University becomes Australia's first cage-free campus

13 March 2008

Late last year, the Board of the University of Newcastle Services decided to trial a 100% free range egg policy at their campus food outlets. It was successful - and now all food outlets at the University will be cage free.

This decision makes Newcastle Uni the first Australian university to set the standard in an international trend towards socially responsible campuses and away from ‘battery cage’ eggs. Over 150 US campuses—including Harvard, Princeton and Tufts University—have also made the decision not to support the cruelty of battery hen farming.

Approximately 10.5 million hens are imprisoned in battery cages in Australia. Crammed in wire cages with up to five other hens—they are afforded less space than an A4 piece of paper each, not even sufficient room to stretch their wings. They will never feel the sun on their feathers, dust bath, roost on a perch, peck and scratch for food or be allowed to express any of their other natural behaviours. This is their life, day after day, night after night.

Newcastle University's decision is all the more groundbreaking for the fact that whilst the European Union will phase out battery cages by 2012, Australia's decision makers have done little to acknowledge the need for change.

Internationally, it's not just campuses such as Harvard and Princeton that are recognising their social responsibility, Google, America Online (AOL), Adidas and Yahoo are amongst the companies that have recognised the importance of taking a stance on animal welfare and no longer serve eggs from caged hens. In the UK, where demand for free range eggs has overtaken that of caged eggs, major supermarkets, including Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer, have stopped stocking battery eggs.

Newcastle's cage free campus initiative was led by the efforts of former student, Kathleen Chapman, and is a great testament to what can be achieved through commitment and intelligent campaigning.

If you would like to help your university go cage free please contact Animals Australia.

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