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50% of eggs from cage-free hens for first time, says Defra
Latest figures released by Defra show that over half of Class A eggs were laid by hens which were not cooped-up in cruel cages.
In 1995 about 86% of eggs were laid by caged hens and only about 14% were from barn, free-range and organic systems. In contrast in 2011 49%of eggs were laid by hens kept in cages and 51% were produced in cage-free systems.
Alice Clark a senior scientist from the RSPCA’s farm animals team said: “It is really great news that for the first time more than half the eggs produced in the UK were laid by hens kept in barn, free-range or organic systems.
Every time a shopper buys a box of Freedom Food, barn, free-range or organic eggs, they are sending a strong message that they care about animal welfare and don’t want hens kept in cages.”
The RSPCA believes that the growth in non-cage production is due to:
- Compulsory egg labelling introduced in 2004 so boxes of whole eggs have to be labelled with the method of production such as ‘eggs from caged hens’ or ‘free-range’.
- Increased public awareness and concern about the suffering of hens kept in cages.
- Some major supermarkets no longer stocking cage eggs and using cage-free eggs as ingredients in their own-brand products.
- Some major food manufacturers and restaurant chains switching to cage-free eggs in their products.
Clark added: “Things are certainly getting better and hopefully one day cages will be a thing of the past altogether. Shoppers who buy cage-free eggs deserve a heartfelt thank you. And if they want to do more they can make sure food they buy such as ready-meals, cakes and ice-cream also contains cage-free eggs.”
Source: RSPCA
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