Farmfoods has been slammed by animal rights groups for its continued sourcing of caged eggs in a joint letter.
Four charities, including The Humane League, Compassion in World Farming, Open Cages and the RSPCA, have sent an open letter to the retailer – the only major multiple not committed to moving away from colony systems.
They said the step has been taken following months of “attempted dialogue” between them and the discounter, which abandoned its cage-free commitment in September due to an inability to “secure supply of sufficient volume of non-cage eggs to meet consumer demand at an acceptable cost to ensure choice for all customers”.
The charities contend the examples set by many of the retailer’s competitors, including fellow discounter Aldi, mean there is no excuse for it to be “clinging on to a cruel and dying industry”.
Pointing to a Bryant Research report, the group said 94% of the UK public oppose the use of cages for laying hens, and a poll by Compassion in World Farming found 67% of people are willing to pay more for cage-free eggs.
“It is shocking that we’re in a new year and Farmfoods are clinging to the same viciously cruel cages that most of the country has abandoned,” said Sean Gifford, The Humane League UK MD. “It has now been a decade since they promised to ditch cages, so together with our fellow animal charities we are highlighting just how far behind Farmfoods has fallen.”
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The letter follows the release of Defra’s Animal Welfare Strategy in December and the launch of a consultation on phasing out the production of caged eggs by 2032 this month.
It also coincides with a fresh season of protests led by The Humane League UK, who demonstrated outside a store in Bristol on Monday, and sent a protest ad-van to a Farmoods shop in Birmingham, located next to its central office.
Gifford added: “Hens deserve so much better than Farmfoods’ tired excuses.”
Farmfoods has been approached for comment.
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