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European Commission under pressure after failing to deliver promised animal welfare reform
Animal Equality activists confront Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission with cages and evidence of suffering in Brussels
The European Commission is facing renewed pressure after failing to deliver the animal welfare reform it promised years ago, as Animal Equality activists staged a high-impact action in front of its headquarters in Brussels to expose the reality of animals still confined in cages across Europe.
The action is part of the campaign “EU: Your Delay, Their Suffering”, which denounces the Commission’s continued inaction despite clear commitments to end cages and address the killing of male chicks.
Images available: action in front of the European Commission, Brussels.
BRUSSELS, 24 February 2026 — The European Commission is under direct public pressure today following an action outside its headquarters, where Animal Equality activists installed gestation crates, displayed a 10-metre banner, and presented visual evidence of animal suffering to confront decision-makers with the consequences of continued delays.
The protest directly points to the failure of the European Commission — under the leadership of President Ursula von der Leyen — and the responsibility of the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, who is in charge of presenting the legislative reform, as well as the decisive influence of the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, whose role is key in defining the scope, timetable and ambition of any change affecting the livestock sector.
Despite repeated public commitments to revise animal welfare legislation and phase out cages, no binding legislative proposal has yet been delivered.
Evidence brought directly to those responsible
The action was designed to bring the evidence directly to the institution — and the political leaders — responsible for acting.
Animal Equality activists installed metal cages outside the Commission building, representing the confinement systems still used across the EU. Large-format posters and a 10-metre banner exposed the suffering caused by cages and the killing of male chicks — practices the Commission itself has recognised as serious animal welfare problems.
Under the message “EU: Your Delay, Their Suffering”, the campaign makes clear that delays are not neutral administrative issues, but political decisions with real consequences.
“This is not a matter of awareness. It is a matter of political choice,” states the Open Letter addressed to the Commission.
Promises made — and broken
Under the Farm to Fork Strategy and following End the Cage Age, the European Commission committed to revising animal welfare legislation, phasing out cages and addressing the killing of male chicks through binding law.
Those commitments have not been fulfilled.
Instead, the legislative proposal has been repeatedly postponed, raising concerns that binding reform could be replaced by non-legislative strategies that leave animals confined and unprotected.
A demand for accountability
The Brussels action marks the beginning of an escalation phase of the campaign “EU: Your Delay, Their Suffering”, aimed at holding President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi accountable ahead of the planned 2026 legislative review.
Animal Equality stresses that these months will be crucial in preventing future legislation from being rendered meaningless by non-binding strategies, delays or exceptions that perpetuate the suffering of millions of animals.
The Open Letter calls on the Commission to:
- End the use of cages across the EU, without exceptions.
- Explicitly ban the killing of male chicks.
- Deliver a full and binding revision of animal welfare legislation in 2026.
The text recalls that the Commission committed to reviewing animal welfare legislation to bring it into line with scientific evidence, broaden its scope and ensure a higher level of protection; and that following the European Citizens' Initiative End the Cage Age, the Commission made a clear commitment to eliminate cages. These commitments were reaffirmed in this legislative term and the process of revising the legislation, including the slaughter of male chicks, was initiated.
However, Animal Equality warns that this mandate is now at risk.
‘This is not a request for future consideration. It is a demand for political responsibility. The European Union must choose now: defend animals and respect its citizens, or betray both through inaction,’ says Matteo Cupi, Vice President of Animal Equality for Europe.
