Published 17/01/2009

Sainsbury's has announced that from the 5 February it will no longer sell eggs from battery hens. When Compassion in World Farming awarded Sainsbury's with a Good Egg Award in 2008 it was on the promise of this remarkable move planned for 2010, yet the supermarket chain has managed to bring this commitment forward by a whole year.

Sainsbury's sells 1.6 million eggs every day, which is more than 600 million eggs a year. It is the first major retailer to withdraw all the whole eggs it sells from battery cages.

Rowen West-Henzell, Food Business Manager at Compassion in World Farming said: "We are over the moon that Sainsbury's has gone cage-free almost a year ahead of the store's original 2010 commitment. The scale of this move is breathtaking, with a total of 2.3 million hens every year now living cage-free as a result.

'We have worked closely with the Sainsbury's team throughout this transition. What stands out is their dedicated hard work and a genuine commitment to continuously improving life for all farm animals in their supply chain. Let this be an example to the other 'big-four' UK supermarkets who have failed to match Sainsbury's on this issue.'

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Read more

• You can download our Pocket Egg Guide ( 1014.37KB) and our Compassionate Shopping Guide ( 2375.63KB) to help you
• Find out more about laying hen welfare here