Farmfoods has abandoned its pledge to go cage-free, making it the sole major UK supermarket to roll back on a promise to eliminate eggs from caged hens.
The move has prompted criticism from campaigners, with the Humane League UK launching a petition in response, accusing the frozen food retailer of betraying commitments made nearly a decade ago.
Farmfoods defended its position, stating it was “unwilling to deny customers access to the good value, nutritious food provided by eggs laid by caged hens.”
But Claire Williams, campaigns manager at the animal welfare charity Humane League UK, condemned the decision as "a catastrophic blunder".
“We won’t stand by as Farmfoods cages over one hundred thousand desperately suffering hens, betraying their word to customers just so they can line their pockets.
"With 8 out of 10 hens in the UK now free from cages, there is simply no good excuse," she said.
Back in 2016, following pressure from animal welfare campaigners, numerous retailers committed to going cage-free by the end of 2025.
Some supermarkets – including the Co-op, Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose – are already 100% cage-free, or are on track to meet their 2025 deadlines.
Farmfoods u-turn follows a similar move by Iceland earlier this year, although the retailer later reinstated its cage-free pledge but with a 2027 deadline.
Iceland's updated pledge applies only to whole shell eggs, not those used as ingredients in other products.
