Kristina Mering: Agricultural Committee Blocks Bill to Ban Cage Farming of Hens

Kristina Mering, director of Invisible Animals, sharply criticises the Riigikogu Agricultural Committee for holding up a bill to ban cage farming of hens and preventing it from moving to second reading. The bill passed first reading in April, and the deadline for amendments has passed, yet parliament members have no opportunity to vote on it. Mering calls this action contrary to the spirit of democracy.

Kristina Mering, director of Invisible Animals, expresses the view that the Riigikogu Agricultural Committee is obstructing the democratic process by holding back the bill to ban cage farming of hens.

Bill at a Standstill

The bill to ban cage farming of hens passed first reading in the Riigikogu in April 2026. The deadline for submitting amendments has long passed, yet despite this the bill remains stuck in the Agricultural Committee. Parliament members have had no opportunity to debate the bill at second reading or vote on it.

Mering emphasises that this is Estonia's most widely supported animal welfare initiative, making the delay in processing the bill particularly reprehensible.

Against Democracy

Mering believes that the committee's actions do not meet good parliamentary practice and are inconsistent with the spirit of democracy. "This is not good parliamentary practice and not a nice way to conduct politics," she writes. In her view, parliament members have been effectively stripped of the right to participate and decide on this issue.

Invisible Animals is an Estonian animal rights organisation that has gathered broad public support in its campaign for a transition to cage-free hen farming.