Farmfoods previously signed up to the cage-free commitment, a campaign which demands that retailers stop the sale of caged eggs by the end of 2025, but has since dropped the pledge.
In response, activists with animal charity The Humane League UK protested this week outside Farmfoods’ HQ in Glasgow, as well as its offices in Birmingham and depot in Solihull.
The charity said it has spent months attempting to open a dialogue with Farmfoods about the decision to drop the cage-free commitment, but had failed to make any progress.
When the pledge was first dropped, Farmfoods stated it was “unwilling to deny customers access to the good value, nutritious food provided by eggs laid by caged hens”.
However, The Humane League UK has explained that keeping hens in cages prevents them from performing key instinctual behaviours such as dust-bathing, perching, roosting and wing-flapping. This creates intense stress for the birds, as well as weakening their bones.
An estimated 140,000 hens will remain in cages because of Farmfoods’ reversal, prompting the charity to launch a petition which has now accumulated more than 36,000 signatures.
Commenting on the protests, campaigns manager at The Humane League UK Claire Williams said: “If Farmfoods can make a quick quid selling cruelly produced eggs, that is what they will do - even though the public is overwhelmingly opposed to the practice.
“With 8 out of 10 hens free from cages in the UK, Farmfoods need to wake up and make this change, or forever stand out as a business who takes special pride in their cruelty to animals.”
Food Manufacture has reached out to Farmfoods for comment.
Iceland also tried to backpedal on their cage-free commitment but ended up recommitting with a new timeline after a campaign from The Humane League UK.
All other major retail brands in the UK are either on track to meet their 2025 commitment or are already 100% cage-free.
