Go Cage Free!

2012 is a big year for Europe’s hens with the outlawing of conventional battery cages.

Sadly, millions of hens will still miss out on the freedom to roam outside and will remain in cramped conditions where they cannot express their natural behaviour.

These are the hens that will now move to an ‘enriched’ cage system. Their eggs will remain legal throughout Europe.

There is strong public opposition to any form of cage production and UK groups including the Co-operative Group, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and McDonalds will not use eggs from these systems. Austria, Germany, and Luxembourg are all committed to making ‘enriched’ cages illegal.

Legislation takes time. One day, all cage production must end and OneKind will work to make this happen, just as we have campaigned hard over the years to end conventional battery farming. Meanwhile...

How to help Europe’s hens

• Make a New Year Resolution that from 2012 you will never buy any eggs from a cage system. Once we have 1000 of your resolutions we will contact the major supermarkets* and show them that consumers want a better life for hens.
  
  *At time of writing, Tesco and Asda will continue to sell caged hen eggs. Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, Morrison and Waitrose have all pledged to sell free-range shell eggs as a minimum.

Other ways to help

• Write to the UK government (via our campaign partner Sustain's Good Food For Our Money campaign ) and ask them to buy only from cage-free systems such as free-range and organic.
• Ask your local shops to only supply cage-free eggs.
• Check packaging of food containing egg and make sure it says free-range or organic.
• Make a regular donation to support OneKind’s campaigns.