Iceland ‘left with egg on its face’

Supermarket Chain Iceland Reaffirms Commitment to Cage-Free Eggs by 2027

Supermarket chain Iceland has publicly reaffirmed its commitment to removing cages from its egg supply chain with a new deadline of 2027, following a sustained campaign by animal protection charity The Humane League UK.

The Humane League UK’s campaign saw volunteers showing up at stores all over the country, alongside protests and mobilization at the supermarket’s headquarters in Deeside.

READ: ICELAND ‘MUST END EGGS-CUSES’

Actress Joanna Lumley fronted a petition to call on chief executive Richard Walker to keep Iceland’s promise, signed by over 70,000 people.

Promise

She said: “I believe that the British public are committed to seeing farmed animals treated with kindness and decency. However, there is no better symbol of cruelty to farmed animals than a hen in a cage.”

Sean Gifford, managing director at The Humane League UK, said: “Iceland broke their original promise to stop keeping hens in cruel cages by 2025 and has been left with egg on its face after dragging its heels on this basic animal welfare issue. Now, it is finally doing the right thing.

“Of course, we’d rather they move faster than 2027. But we welcome their renewed commitment and thank all those who took action to make this happen. We’ll be holding Iceland to this promise and making sure no hen is left behind.”

He added: “This renewed commitment is a testament to the power of relentless campaigning and informed, independent journalism. The Ecologist played a key role in shining a light on Iceland’s backtracking, helping to bring public attention and pressure at a crucial moment.”

All other major supermarkets in the UK have committed to going cage-free for all hens in their supply chain by 2025 – and over 80 per cent of hens are now free from cages in the UK.

Iceland made the original promise in 2016, stating that “it is clear that our customers would prefer to buy eggs from non-caged hens”.

Dust-bathing

They subsequently reneged on this promise earlier this year before publicly announcing their renewed commitment. However, their commitment only covers whole shell eggs, not ingredient eggs.