UK egg producer supports a free-range future

Published 02/05/2008

Compassion in World Farming welcomes the decision from the UK's biggest egg supplier to support the free-range egg industry.

Noble Foods, which currently supplies 70 per cent of the UK egg market, has invested £3.5 million in the free-range sector in the past 12 months. Sales of free-range eggs are predicted to rise at least 10% this coming year. The company was exposed for the dire conditions in one of the barren battery egg farms supplying their eggs, by Compassion in World Farming earlier this year.

According to their statement released this week, "free range egg production is still one of the most profitable parts of farming and demand is expanding."

Over the last decade, there has been a notable increase in the sales of higher welfare eggs. Earlier this year, industry figures showed free-range eggs reaching 60% of all retail egg sales. According to Eurobarometer studies, the majority of European citizens are willing to make a substantial effort to buy eggs from hens that have higher welfare standards.

Virag Kaufer, Head of Campaigns at Compassion in World Farming says "We welcome the acknowledgment of customer demand and the actions taken by Noble foods to grow the supply base for the free-range industry. This call for investment in the free-range egg sector really will benefit the lives of millions of hens. We hope that the company will soon move completely away from caged egg production which is clearly a cruel form of farming, condemned by customers all over Europe."