Published 12/11/2019

Leading farm animal welfare charity, Compassion in World Farming, is urging the UK’s three largest bargain retailers - Poundland, B&M, and Home Bargains - to commit to a cage free future for hens.

Since 2015, there has been a huge wave of food businesses across the globe pledging to go cage free. All the UK’s major supermarket chains have either stopped selling eggs from caged hens or have pledged to go cage free by 2025 and many popular restaurant chains, including Frankie & Bennie’s, Café Rouge and Pizza Express, have also made cage free commitments.  Compassion is now calling on Poundland, B&M, and Home Bargains to join the cage free revolution.

Around 16 million laying hens in the UK are currently kept in cages. These animals will spend almost their entire lives confined, with barely enough room to spread their wings.

Animal welfare is a significant concern for UK shoppers, with 81% of the public believing cages in farming are cruel and over two-thirds (67%) feeling that this method of farming is outdated. At a time when the market is shifting towards higher animal welfare standards, it’s deeply disappointing that Poundland, B&M and Home Bargains still sell eggs from caged hens.

Compassion has written to the retailers on multiple occasions over recent months, but they have failed to make a cage free commitment.

“These so called ‘cheap’ eggs may seem like a good deal, but they come at a high price to the millions of hens confined in cages,” says Natasha Smith, UK Campaigns Manager at Compassion in World Farming. “We must ensure there is no market for caged eggs anywhere in Britain. Major UK food businesses have already committed to a cage-free future – it’s high time for bargain retailers to follow suit.”  

“Caged eggs on any store shelf will mean millions of hens may continue to live a life of misery, year after year.”

To support Compassion’s campaign please visit ciwf.org.uk/endcages.