Once upon a time, eggs were the simplest of kitchen staples, but not any more. Welfare campaigns have improved the dismal lot of battery hens and in turn led to wider consumer choice. But now a baffling range of eggs, from value brands through to organic and nutritionally enriched varieties, vie for space on supermarket shelves. But which are the highest-welfare eggs?
The answer is not straightforward. While there have been huge improvements in bird welfare in recent years, one outstanding issue concerns beak trimming. In the UK, most hens bred for laying have part of their beaks removed by infrared burner without anaesthetic when they are chick, to reduce the risk of injuries in flocks from feather pecking. The only way to avoid eggs laid by beak-trimmed hens is to buy those certified organic by the Soil Association, which does not support the practice, or free-range British Blacktail eggs marketed by Waitrose, which pays farmers a premium for birds that have not undergone the procedure. But the issue is contentious. While animal activists claim the procedure is unnecessary, Freedom Foods, the RSPCA’s farm assurance and food-labelling scheme, believes that in the absence of a better way to deal with the problem of feather pecking, it remains the best solution. As a result, the Freedom Foods logo will continue to appear on eggs from beak-trimmed hens until it feels a better way is found.
'Organic' egg farm Clarence Court (HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY)
Ultimately, the question of which eggs to buy depends on your personal ethical priorities and, of course, your budget.
Checking the eggs before you buy them is important. All eggs sold in the UK must be stamped with the method of production: 0=organic, 1= free-range, 2=barn, 3=caged and state this on the carton. The British Lion symbol also tells you that the eggs are British-laid and have been vaccinated against salmonella. Price is a good indicator of how the hens that laid the eggs were raised. If you buy your eggs from the supermarket, the cheapest are likely to be from hens kept in cages, while the most expensive organic brands are potentially the highest-welfare. But bear in mind that although many free-range and organic hens have idyllic lives, much depends on the individual producer and production standards vary wildly. Eggs carrying the Freedom Foods logo however do receive regular inspections to ensure high welfare standards are maintained.
Caged eggs
Cramped battery cages were banned across the EU in 2012, but animal welfare experts agree that new and so-called improved “enriched” cages are not a great deal better. The birds have slightly more room to move than in conventional battery cages – 13 to 14 hens per square metre and a few furnishings – but their ability to behave naturally remains severely restricted. Beak trimming is routine. If you want eggs laid by happy hens, avoid caged, which means the cheapest eggs, including some supermarket value ranges. If you must opt for caged, make sure they bear the British Lion symbol so you know they were British-laid; some EU countries flout the law and continue to keep hens in battery cages. Some retailers such as Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Marks & Spencer, no longer sell eggs from caged birds.
Barn eggs
If price is an important issue for you, opt for barn eggs rather than caged if possible. Barn-raised hens can roam freely indoors and perform many of their natural behaviours, like dust bathing and scratching. They also have platforms to perch on to escape pecking and nest boxes for laying eggs. But most barn-raised hens stay inside all their lives and in comparatively crowded conditions, with up to nine hens per square meter. Beak trimming is routine.
Free range
About 50 per cent of all eggs produced in the UK are free-range – laid by hens that enjoy unlimited daytime access to runs that have vegetation, and at least four square metres of outside space per bird. At night, free-range hens are housed in barns furnished with bedding and perches, with nine hens allowed per square meter of inside space. But there is no limit on flock size, a fact exploited by some producers. Beak trimming is commonly practiced, except for most free-range British Blacktail eggs.
Organic
According to Compassion in World Farming, organically reared hens offer the highest potential standards of animal welfare. They enjoy more access to the outdoors than non-organic free-range birds and less crowded living conditions indoors – up to six hens per square meter in flocks of no more than 3000. Routine beak trimming is not permitted under the rules of the Soil Association.
THREE EGG BRANDS TO TRY
Intelligent eating – free-range eggs that have been naturally enriched with Omega-3, they are promoted as a good way for consumers to boost their Omega-3 intake. They are produced in Britain and bear the British Lion quality symbol.
Respectful Eggs – a brand of free-range eggs made with half the carbon footprint of standard free-range eggs, with all power used on the farm coming from sustainable wind and solar sources.
Clarence Court® eggs – including Burford Brown and Cotswold Legbar, are free-range eggs from heritage breed hens renowned for their flavour, larger yolks, firmer whites and stronger shells. The hens lay fewer eggs per year than average free-range birds, and producers pride themselves on the high-welfare conditions in which they are raised.
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