Free range eggs outsell those from caged hens for first time

  • 86% of eggs were battery in 1995
  • EU banned ‘barren battery cages’ at the start of 2012
  • Hens can still be placed in cage the size of an A4 sheet of paper

By
Rob Cooper

Last updated at 1:27 AM on 18th February 2012

Free-range eggs have outsold those from caged hens for the first time.

Last year 51 per cent of the nine billion eggs laid in the UK came from barn, free-range or organic farm hens. The official figures are in stark contrast to 1995, when 86 per cent came from battery cages.

Experts believe consumers started switching to free range eight years ago after rules made farmers state how their eggs were produced.

Cracking news: 51% of the eggs sold in Britain last year were free range - the first time they have outsold battery

Cracking news: 51% of the eggs sold in Britain last year were free range – the first time they have outsold battery

The trend has gathered pace despite free range costing four pence more on average than caged varieties.

Many retailers such as Waitrose, the Co-op and Marks Spencers have stopped selling eggs from caged birds altogether.

Barren battery cages were banned by the European Union at the start of this year. Their replacement, ‘enriched’ cages, have perches and litter for pecking but still only give each hen less usable space than an A4 sheet of paper.

The RSPCA estimates they are used to rear 16 million hens in Britain to produce eggs mainly for the catering industry.

Alice Clark, a senior scientist from the RSPCA’s farm animals team, said: ‘Things are certainly getting better and hopefully one day cages will be a thing of the past altogether.

‘Shoppers who buy cage-free eggs deserve a heartfelt thank you. And if they want to do more they can make sure food they buy such as ready-meals, cakes and ice-cream also contains cage-free eggs.

‘This is a massive step forward for animal welfare especially when you consider in 1995 that more than eight out of ten eggs were laid by hens kept in cruel barren battery cages.

Free range: Typically non-battery eggs cost four pence more than battery

Free range: Typically non-battery eggs cost four pence more than battery

‘On the downside about 16 million hens in the UK are still kept in cages with less usable space than an A4 sheet of paper each.

‘We mustn’t forget that many of their eggs will be used in catering, at restaurants or as ingredients in ready-made meals and food such as cakes, sandwiches and ice-cream.’

With Shrove Tuesday approaching, the RSPCA is urging consumers to choose free range eggs for their pancake mix.

Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, which represents producers, said: ‘There’s a greater demand for non-caged eggs and egg producers have responded to that.’

The figures were released in Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) egg statistics for February 2012.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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The comments below have not been moderated.

the cute picture of free range chickens is nothing like reality.
Reality is houses containing thousands of birds that have access to free range. many never choose to leave the building because the food is inside.

Best news I’ve read all week!

Free range eggs used to be the only ones available years ago. I’m sure athe vast majority of people would love to buy organic produce and free range eggs but the cost is prohibative and time to produce some of the meals shown on “eat well” programmes tend to be only available too the very well heeled.
The headline is therefore false, sadly misleading but hardly a first for the DM which tends to get a headline and then to fit a story (sic) around it.

Brilliant news! And Laura, Devon we need more people like you in the world!

Bet that doesn’t include the catering and food processing industry, the biggest offenders of using cheap battery eggs.

If u r happy with this then u care about animals! Please help to stop ANIMAL TESTING IN THE UK AND ARND THE WORLD. We DO NOT NEED TO TEST ON ANIMALS IN THIS DAY AND AGE! We can go to the moon for crying out loud, we can see to the edge of the Universe, we can go to the depths of our seas, then why do we still have to test on animals to put such labels as new and improved on products????? I am not trying to be funny when I say this but there has got to be an app for testing products that could by pass all Animal testing!!! Compters are so far advanced I refuse to believe that they could not simulate a test, after all why not a compter, dogs are not human so u can never be sure that they would react the same as us anyways!! I will Never again buy a product that I know is tested on animals. (o, and to answer one question I know people will be asking. I does not have to cost the earth to buy cruelty free products)

The sooner battery egg farms are got rid of – the better. People are voting with their conscience and that is good.

Yeha, I am so happy, but will be much more happy when they stop selling eggs that have been produced by Chickens in tiny cages all together! Also I am on a mission to get Animal testing STOPPED, until just b4 Christmas I thought that we had stopped Animal testing years ago, not so, we still have Many Huge companies that test on Animalsin the UK. And b4 anyone says o, but we need to test so we can have life saving meds. Companies are still doing HORRIFIC tests on Animals, such as cute little Beagles so that they can put a New and Improved label on shampoos ect that have been on the shelfs for years just so they can make Even Bigger profts!! go on u tube and check out the kind of stuff they do to these poor dogs ect. Beagles kept in cages hardley big enough to turn in, ALL THEIR LIVES, these are dogs that we are told as new owners need masses of Loves, care and WALKES!! They get none of that!

Yeha, I am so happy, but will be much more happy when they stop selling eggs that have been produced by Chickens in tiny cages all together! Also I am on a mission to get Animal testing STOPPED, until just b4 Christmas I thought that we had stopped Animal testing years ago, not so, we still have Many Huge companies that test on Animalsin the UK. And b4 anyone says o, but we need to test so we can have life saving meds. Companies are still doing HORRIFIC tests on Animals, such as cute little Beagles so that they can put a New and Improved label on shampoos ect that have been on the shelfs for years just so they can make Even Bigger profts!! go on u tube and check out the kind of stuff they do to these poor dogs ect. Beagles kept in cages hardley big enough to turn in, ALL THEIR LIVES, these are dogs that we are told as new owners need masses of Loves, care and WALKES!! They get none of that!!

How many of these so-called free range eggs were laid by birds housed in huge barns holding thousands of hens ? If the barn has just one hen-sized opening to the outside world, the eggs are legally free range. (The fact that few, if any, hens venture outside is irrelevant )

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