Campaigners demand ban on cage breeding of game birds in Wales
Activists lock themselves in cages outside Plaid Cymru conference to highlight suffering of pheasants and partridges, urging Welsh government to outlaw the practice.
Campaigners from the League Against Cruel Sports staged a dramatic protest outside the Plaid Cymru conference in Llandudno on 2 October, confining themselves in cramped cages to mimic the conditions endured by pheasants and partridges bred for sport shooting.
The activists, locked inside metal cages with wire‑mesh roofs and floors, aimed to draw attention to what they describe as “appalling conditions” for the semi‑wild birds used in Wales’s lucrative shooting industry.
Welsh government data estimate that between 800,000 and 2.3 million non‑native pheasants and partridges are released each year across the countryside for sport shooting, a figure that underscores the scale of the breeding operation.
Industry‑standard breeding facilities resemble battery‑style cages, offering little space and forcing birds onto metal surfaces that can cause beak damage, foot lesions and severe stress‑induced aggression.
“Keeping pheasants and partridges in cages for breeding causes these birds an immense amount of suffering and is an animal welfare issue that needs to be addressed by the Welsh Government,” said Jamie Adair, public affairs officer for Wales at the League Against Cruel Sports.
He added, “The Welsh government now has a clear opportunity to demonstrate leadership on animal welfare issues by including game birds in its work on ending the use of cages for farmed animals.”
Unlike chickens and turkeys, which benefit from legal minimum‑space requirements, game birds such as pheasants and partridges are exempt from these protections, leaving them vulnerable to the harsh conditions of intensive breeding.
Veterinary experts warn that the wire‑mesh roofs can cause birds to scalp themselves in attempts to escape, while cramped quarters increase the risk of injuries and disease.
The protest coincided with the opening of the pheasant shooting season, which began on 1 October, a timing the campaigners chose to highlight the direct link between breeding practices and the annual hunt.
Public sentiment appears to back the activists’ call for reform. A YouGov poll conducted in 2021 found that 72 per cent of respondents in Wales opposed the use of cages to breed pheasants and partridges.
“We highlighted to Plaid Cymru members today the distress that using cages for breeding game birds causes,” Adair said during the demonstration.
He continued, “The use of cages for farmed animals needs to end and this ban on using cages in Wales should include the many pheasants and partridges being kept for breeding in appalling conditions.”
Welsh ministers have previously pledged to review animal‑welfare standards, but no specific legislation targeting game‑bird breeding has yet been announced.
Industry representatives argue that the current system is essential to sustain the shooting season, which contributes significantly to rural economies and tourism.
Critics counter that the economic benefits do not outweigh the ethical concerns, pointing to the growing public appetite for higher welfare standards across all animal sectors.
As the shooting season progresses, the League Against Cruel Sports says it will maintain pressure on the Welsh government, urging swift legislative action to extend cage‑free mandates to game‑bird breeding.
The protest has sparked renewed debate in the Senedd, with several members indicating they will raise the issue during upcoming committee meetings on animal welfare.
Whether the Welsh government will act before the end of the shooting season remains uncertain, but the campaigners hope their visual demonstration will tip the balance toward reform.