Daniel Baba Abiliba urges rejection of African battery cage standard

Dr. Daniel Baba Abiliba, a prominent Ghanaian veterinarian and founder of the Animal Welfare League (AWL), has launched a continent-wide campaign to stop the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) from approving a draft standard that permits the use of battery cages for egg-laying hens. The initiative, which began in March 2026, specifically targets the draft standard labeled CD-ARS 1241:2025(E). Abiliba argues that the proposed confinement system is fundamentally inhumane and significantly compromises the biological and behavioral welfare of chickens across the continent.

The veterinarian contends that the proposed standard is not only harmful to animal health but also runs contrary to traditional African agricultural values. According to the Animal Welfare League, battery cages severely restrict the natural behaviors of hens, leading to physical suffering and psychological distress. Dr. Abiliba maintains that humane treatment is fully compatible with agricultural productivity, asserting that modernizing Africa's poultry industry should not involve adopting detrimental practices that are increasingly being phased out in other parts of the world due to ethical concerns.

Ghana’s own progress in establishing national poultry welfare standards serves as a primary focal point for the campaign. Dr. Abiliba is urging other African nations and their respective national standards bodies to look toward Ghana's example of humane husbandry rather than adopting the ARSO draft. The campaign is currently seeking to mobilize public support through a petition at stoparsobatterycages.org, aiming to pressure regional authorities to reject the proposal in favor of more sustainable and welfare-conscious poultry farming methods.