The Delhaize chain
(Belgium) has followed Makro, Lidl and Colruyt in
replacing eggs from caged hens with barn, free-range and organic eggs. The
animal welfare group Global Action in the Interest
of Animals (GAIA) welcomed the move and called on the other supermarkets to
follow suit.
Conventional battery
cages will be outlawed by the EU in 2012, but "enriched cages", which have
certain welfare improvements and give each hen 33% more space, will be
allowed.
GAIA said the supermarkets were giving egg producers a strong signal to
abandon the use of both battery and enriched cages.
