On the 16th of June 2025, a sweeping investigation led by the Open Wing Alliance (an international coalition of nearly 100 animal welfare organisations) unveiled harrowing conditions endured by egg-laying hens in more than 35 countries. The exposé, described as the largest of its kind, documented systemic cruelty and unsanitary environments in industrial egg farms at a time when the bird flu pandemic continues to threaten everyone’s health.
Investigators recorded scenes of hens confined in overcrowded cages, often unable to stand upright or spread their wings. Many birds were found trapped among rotting corpses, abandoned in manure pits, or forced to lay eggs in spaces so cramped that up to ten individuals were squeezed into areas smaller than an electronic tablet. The physical and psychological suffering was evident, with birds displaying raw skin patches, bloody vents, and mutilated feet from constant contact with wire flooring.
Ellie Ponders, Senior Director of Global Corporate Engagement at the Open Wing Alliance, said, “This isn’t just an animal welfare issue, it’s a betrayal of public trust. Investors, regulators, and consumers must ask: how much longer will corporations gamble with our health and ethics?” Ponders added, “Cramming sick, stressed hens into filthy cages is the perfect breeding ground for disease, yet companies like Walmart and Inspire Brands are still clinging to this reckless model. And this isn’t an isolated issue — it’s a global crisis. This investigation lays bare the truth: systemic suffering, global inaction and a betrayal of public trust.”
The investigation highlighted that, despite pledges from some major food corporations to transition to cage-free egg sourcing, many — including Walmart, Zensho Holdings, and Inspire Brands — continue to profit from these practices. Nikki Glaser, vegan comedian and host of the 2025 Golden Globes, commented, “From North America to Asia, Europe to Africa — no country, no company using cages is safe from what we found. The price tag is the least shocking thing about eggs.”
The cages, though, are not the problem; but the industry that uses them is, as they treat animals as commodities. This is why hens also suffer in the overcrowded free-cage systems, as they continue to be exploited for food. Only the abolition of all animal farming, with or without cages, can solve this problem.
