A bill by the Australian Democrats to gradually abolish battery hens farms in South Australia is being drafted and is due to be introduced during the next week of parliament.

New footage of battery hen operations in South Australia released by Animal Liberation today reinforces the timeliness and importance of this legislation.

"Battery cage hens have to live their lives in a space smaller than an A4 piece of paper," Australian Democrats leader, Mike Elliott, said today.

"These hens are often debeaked and are often gashed by cage wire. They develop brittle bones, cannot stretch out their wings, perch, nest or lay eggs in a quiet place.

"The footage released today of hens cramped in battery cages in South Australia has been quite shocking and most people cannot believe that such cruelty can be allowed to continue.

"The European Union has issued a directive to phase out this practice, while in Switzerland battery cages have been banned for over a decade. Yet in Australia this practice of animal abuse is still widespread.

"We have waited for the Minister to act for far too long, that is why I will introduce legislation to ban and phase out battery hen cages.

"This legislation will correct current fowl containment criteria, and will have a gradual phase in period.

"It will not be ‘free range’ legislation, but will only permit forms of containment that allow individual fowl to fulfil their basic behavioural needs.

"It will phase out battery hen cages and introduce alternative systems by 2006.

"It is time to stop the barbaric battery hen cage practices that are currently so widespread."