10 November 2025
In response to ongoing concerns within the Scottish egg production sector regarding transportation times around the disposal of spent hens, the Scottish Government commissioned SAOS to evaluate the options available to ensure the industry can comply with any emerging changes in RSPCA standards.
In 2023, Scotland produced around 1.5 billion eggs from a hen population of just over 5 million, representing around 12.5% of total UK output. Typically, a hen will be around 78 weeks old at the end of its productive life. This mean that around 4.8 million hens are slaughtered each year for the purpose of exports, food-service markets and pet food.
The nearest spent hen abattoirs are located in the North of England at Bradford and Gainsborough. At best, the travel time for spent hens is around 4 hours from the South of Scotland and can stretch to up to 12 hours from the north of Scotland.
Four businesses dominate the egg sector in Scotland. The value of smaller producers is also recognised within Scotland.
(Source: Scottish Government, 10 October 2025)
Information on poultry can be found in 'Poultry at markets: handling and transport' and 'Registration and records of poultry and other captive birds'.