Animal protection groups call for stronger cage-free commitments amid consumer concerns over welfare

Animal welfare efforts within the F&B industry are gathering pace amid the looming 2025 deadline for cage-free egg commitments, but still more robust action is needed to meet cage-free targets and boost welfare standards in the absence of legislation.

UK companies are leading the way in cage-free eggs, with nearly 75% of the UK market already being cage-free, followed by France (70%) and Italy (66%), reveals Compassion in World Farming’s EggTrack 2024 report.

While some animal protection groups have welcomed recent moves like the European Parliament appointmenting of EU’s “first-ever” Commissioner explicitly in charge of animal welfare, others are disappointed at the lack of a clear timeline on phasing out cages.

“Animal welfare initiatives are gaining momentum within the food industry, with many forward-thinking food businesses leading the way, even in the absence of legislative mandates,” Dr. Tracey Jones, global director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming, tells Food Ingredients First.

“This progress is evident through reports like our Food Businesses paving the way for a cage-free Europe and latest industry open letter to the department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (signed by Waitrose, Greggs, Co-op, M&S, Morrisons, Aldi, The Big Table Group and Mitchells & Butlers), both calling for the phase-out of cages.”

However, she flags that while the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), working with Noble Foods, Tesco and Compassion in World Farming, set a new welfare standard for UK barn egg production in 2019, “little has been done to really progress the cage-free movement in the UK from a legislative perspective.”

Transparency in public commitments creates ripple effects across the industry, as demonstrated by leading brands’ cage-free egg commitments, says Jones.“To get hens out of cages, the UK Government must step up and enact legislation that supports market transition and drives the change needed for all food companies to only source and sell cage-free eggs and ends the production of caged eggs in the UK once and for all.”

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals agrees that concrete legislative action is needed.

“Citizens have spoken in multitudes through ECIs [European Citizens’ Initiative] and other petitions, while the European Food Safety Authority opinions have time and time again confirmed that legislation does not protect animals. We will not accept just empty promises, it is high time to deliver for the animals, especially with a new Commissioner for Animal Welfare in place, who we look forward to working with.”

“There can be no more suffering because of inaction,” she adds.

To push for action, Compassion’s letter to Defra Secretary of State, Steve Reed, calls for “taking the necessary steps to phase out the use of eggs from caged systems.”

“We are urging Defra to take immediate action by banning the installation of new cage systems and committing to phasing out all existing cage systems for egg-laying hens by the end of the current Parliament,” Jones tells us.

“Leaders and laggards”

Jones believes that while making a cage-free commitment is an essential first step, the real impact for laying hens comes when companies make “tangible progress” and fulfil their commitments.

This year, Compassion is using ‘Spotlights” to showcase how EU companies are progressing toward their 2025 commitments. This list includes Leaders (already 100% cage-free), In Progress (on track to reach 100% by 2025), At Risk (of missing the 2025 deadline) and which are Laggards (have a commitment but are not reporting or have regressed on their progress).

Animal protection groups welcome the European Parliament's appointment of its the first ever Commissioner for animal welfare. UK leaders include Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Food, Greggs, McDonald’s and Pizza Express, while One Stop, Greene King and Spar (UK) are listed as Laggards.

However, Jones urges that despite the voluntary move to cage-free systems by leading companies and producers, “the UK will not be 100% free of cages without legislation.”

“Only legislation will drive the laggards to change and without cage-free legislation or a ban on imports or sale from inferior systems, food companies lack the necessary support to transition fully to cage-free production.”

Meanwhile, in France, Danone Group, Pret A Manger and McDonald’s France are the Leaders, while Aldi France and Groupe Casino are in progress.

Italian companies Barilla, Aldi Italy and Lidl Italy are recognized as leaders, with Carrefour Italy, Ferrero and Gruppo Selex being In Progress and five being laggards.

Only 30% of the Polish and 33% of the Spanish markets are cage-free, led by GB Foods, Grupo Avícola RUJAMAR and Lidl Spain.

Animal welfare advocates react

Animal protection group Cruelty Free Europe has welcomed the appointment of Olivér Várhelyi as the Commissioner for Animal Welfare and urges him to “use the moment as a catalyst for the EU’s commitment on the phase-out of animal testing.”

“We want to see the Commission’s work toward a phase-out, including through its Roadmap to end animal testing for chemical safety assessment, progress in a positive and productive direction,” says the group’s head of public affairs, Dylan Underhill.

Meanwhile, the Eurogroup for Animals urges Várhelyi to publish the long-awaited legislative proposals for animal welfare and phasing out cages.

“The legislative proposal should come no later than 2026, as recommended by the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture. In addition, standards set in the EU should be respected through import regulations, to ensure that the EU is not responsible for unethical and unsustainable practices elsewhere,” states the group.

Over 67% of the British public are willing to pay more for eggs produced from cage-free hens, says a recent poll.It also calls on the Commission for species-specific regulations for fish, which it says have been  “overlooked for far too long, despite nine out of ten citizens calling for better protection.”

The group further demands that an action plan be published to prioritize a transition to non-animal science and establish an EU-wide Positive List for exotic animals.

Finally, in reply to the Fur Free Europe ECI, it calls for a ban on fur farming and the placement of farmed fur products on the European market. 

Push from consumers

Jones says that besides food companies, consumers are also increasingly interested in the provenance of their food when it comes to animal-sourced foods, and how the animals were reared.

“A new poll, by More in Common, commissioned by Compassion, has found that more than two-thirds (67%) of the British public are willing to pay more (an estimated 6 p extra on their weekly shop) for eggs produced from hens that are not kept in cages, while 75% of the British public believe the use of cages in farming is cruel.”

In Singapore, nearly 83% of consumers demand food companies to source their eggs from cage-free farms.

Amid the ongoing push from companies and consumers, Jones expects that in the future, cage-free advancements will focus on “future-fit production systems, such as well-designed barn and free-range systems that provide birds with ample space and enrichment to support their natural behaviors.”