Farmfoods has signalled to shoppers that they care less about animal cruelty than any of their competitors.
Farmfoods has dropped its commitment to stop selling eggs from chickens farmed in cages, becoming the only UK supermarket to have ditched the welfare promise.
The chain committed in 2016 to going cage-free by the end of 2025 after campaigning from The Humane League UK, which has now launched a petition in response to what it described as a "betrayal".
READ MORE FROM THE CAGE FREE CAMPAIGN
George Herd, the chief executive of Farmfoods, made the decision with the company saying it was “unwilling to deny customers access to the good value, nutritious food provided by eggs laid by caged hens.”
Stress
This claim was made despite the fact that Farmfoods eggs from caged hens cost the same as Aldi’s free-range eggs. Further, an overwhelming 94 per cent of the UK public oppose the use of cages for laying hens.
Claire Williams, campaigns manager at The Humane League UK, said: “Dropping Farmfoods’ cage-free commitment is a catastrophic blunder from George Herd’s leadership.
"They have signalled to shoppers that they care less about animal cruelty than any of their competitors.
"We won’t stand by as Farmfoods cages over one hundred thousand desperately suffering hens, betraying their word to customers just so they can line their pockets. With eight out of 10 hens in the UK now free from cages, there is simply no good excuse.”
Keeping hens in cages prevents them from fully performing key instinctual behaviours such as dust-bathing, perching, roosting, and wing-flapping. Enriched cages are cramped, crowded, and dimly lit. This creates intense stress for the birds and prevents them from having a life worth living.
Farmfoods has signalled to shoppers that they care less about animal cruelty than any of their competitors.
Petition
Farmfoods takes £1 billion in revenue each year, which The Humane League UK argues must be used to help get hens out of cages.
This move follows Iceland’s U-turn earlier in the year, who ditched and then reinstated their commitment to stop using eggs from caged hens.
However, all other major retail brands in the UK are either on track to meet their 2025 commitment or are already 100 per cent cage-free. The Co-op, Sainsbury’s, M&S, and Waitrose have all stopped selling eggs from caged birds.
An estimated seven million hens are still trapped in cages across the UK, which severely harm the wellbeing of hens. An estimated 140,000 hens will remain in cages in Farmfoods's supply chain because of this reversal.
The Humane League UK is calling for Farmfoods to reinstate its commitment and is asking shoppers to sign the petition. The Ecologist contacted Farmfoods for comment.
This Author
Brendan Montague is a member of the editorial team at The Ecologist online.
