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Battery cages are the original animal welfare horror story. Row upon row of cramped, barren cages, housing egg laying hens in a space barely the size of a piece of A4 paper. They have been used by the industry and hated by the public for decades. Thankfully, by the end of 2022, using battery cages will be illegal, as legislation banning their use finally comes into effect.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that most New Zealander’s care about animal welfare. And care deeply. We spend vast amounts each year on our four-legged companions and are quick to condemn practices that we feel are cruel towards animals farmed for their meat, milk and fibre.

The Five Freedoms model of animal welfare was first developed in the 1960s and has shaped the development of evidence-based animal welfare standards globally for many years.

People buy certain brands of eggs for a variety of reasons including; price, brand loyalty, taste, quality, and for ethical reasons. Many people who buy eggs labelled as free range, believe the hens laying these eggs enjoy a better standard of life, and trust the free range label. However, in some situations, these free range claims may be misleading.