TDRL; The African Organisation for Standardisation is advancing a draft standard (CD-ARS 1241) that would legitimize battery cages across 44 member countries, despite scientific evidence and market trends moving in the opposite direction. The Technical Committee meets February 4, 2026 to discuss the standard.
How to Help
Campaign site: https://stoparsobatterycages.org/
Takes 10 seconds to email ARSO. Takes 2-5 minutes to share in networks. Takes 30 seconds to log your action for campaign tracking.
The Situation
ARSO's draft standard CD-ARS 1241:2025(E) contains a demonstrably false claim in its introduction: "The laying hen cage system has become the most important facility as it guarantees the welfare of birds while laying."
This matters because ARSO standards are recognized across 44 African countries with a combined poultry sector affecting hundreds of millions of laying hens. Once harmonized, these standards create regulatory precedent that's difficult to reverse.
Key parameters of concern:
- Space allocation: 450 cm² per hen (for context, an A4 sheet is 623.7 cm²)
- No enrichment requirements (no perches, nests, litter, or dust baths)
- Direct contradiction with WOAH and scientific consensus on hen welfare needs
- Characterization of battery cages as "essential" despite viable alternatives
What Would Be Valuable
- Direct action before February 4:
- Email ARSO using templates at https://stoparsobatterycages.org/
- Contact NSBs in countries where you have professional networks
- Submit technical comments if you have relevant expertise (animal science, agricultural economics, standards development)
- Network amplification:
- Share in EA communities, Slack workspaces, and professional networks
- Forward to contacts in African policy/advocacy/research spaces
- Engage institutional partners who may have formal consultation rights
- Strategic counsel:
- Connections to standards development professionals
- Media contacts in African markets
- Funders who could support rapid-response capacity building
Thanks Daniel. This looks incredibly important. Huge kudos to AWL for setting up this website and coordinating a response.
When I click "email now", the mailto: function doesn't work for me. (I think this is an issue with my computer settings, not the website). Can you send me the suggested text?
Also, how helpful is it for people outside Africa to write in? I imagine it's still helpful, especially for animal welfare experts, but I want to sense-check that with you.