Tuesday, 4th September
Morrisons stripped of Award by Compassion in World Farming
Compassion in World Farming has announced that it is taking the unprecedented step of stripping
Morrisons of its prestigious Good Egg Commendation award following the supermarket chain’s
decision to re-introduce eggs from caged hens across its own brand M-Savers range.
Steve McIvor, Director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming, said: “We are shocked
that Morrisons is taking this backward step. It is a negative decision, not only for laying hens, but
also for consumers and for Morrisons’ reputation. Consumers do not like caged egg production and
Compassion in World Farming shares this view. We awarded Morrisons a Good Egg
Commendation in good faith and would encourage Morrisons to reverse this decision and get back
on the right track.”
Compassion presented Morrisons with a Good Egg Commendation in 2008 for their policy
commitment to sourcing only free-range eggs across their entire own branded egg offer. To
achieve an award, it has to be a ‘life-time’ commitment. Compassion believes that a cage-free egg
policy is fundamental for a company committed to higher welfare standards and a change in policy
therefore represents a retrograde step for animal welfare.
Steve added: “At a time when other brands across Europe, including Sainsbury’s, McDonald’s, The
Co-operative Food, Subway, Wetherspoons, Ocado and IKEA, are taking positive steps to improve
welfare, this is a really surprising and unfortunate decision by Morrisons and goes against the
general retail trend.”
The issue of caged egg production is one that resonates with consumers. The majority of British
consumers do not consider that new ‘enriched cages’ meet the welfare needs of laying hensi and
Compassion in World Farming shares this view. The introduction of an M-savers caged egg line
this summer sends a negative message to consumers regarding Morrisons’ commitment to farm
animal welfare.
Compassion’s Food Business Programme is based on building positive relationships and trust with
its partners to encourage change in the industry and it is keen to re-engage with Morrisons in this
way. Meanwhile, all references to Morrisons’ Good Egg Commendation are being removed from
the charity’s website and promotional materials. The supermarket is being asked to do likewise.
The Good Egg Award was launched in 2007 to recognize companies that have committed to use
cage-free eggs or egg products. To date more than 26 million laying hens are set to benefit each
year from the award winners’ policies.
Ends
Notes to editors:
For further information, images or to arrange interviews contact:
Wendy Akers or Nicole Ennis, Mustard Communications
Tel: 020 8892 5665. E-mail: [email protected] or
[email protected], [email protected]

Compassion in World Farming was founded over 40 years ago in 1967 by a British farmer
who became horrified by the development of modern, intensive factory farming. Today we
campaign peacefully to end all cruel factory farming practices. We believe that the biggest
cause of animal cruelty on the planet deserves a focused, specialised approach – so we
only work on farm animal welfare.

Compassion in World Farming’s Food Business Team:
Compassion in World Farming’s Food Business Team engages with Europe’s leading food
companies, inspiring progress through prestigious awards and supporting products and
initiatives which represent tangible benefits for farm animals. We also encourage higherwelfare food purchasing in the public sector.
To find out more about the Food Business team, visit www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com
Enriched Cages
As of 1st January 2012, barren battery cages have been prohibited in the EU. However, modified cages, also
referred to as ‘enriched’, ‘furnished’ or ‘colony’ cages, remain legal. These cages offer some improvements
to the barren battery cage including increased space, perch provision and a scratching area. However, a
cage is still a cage and these requirements offer only limited improvements to welfare: the additional space
requirement is minimal (equivalent to the size of a beer mat), the cages may still be crowded and natural
behaviours may be thwarted - there is no opportunity for dust bathing and the scratching areas are often too
small to allow several hens to access the resource at once.
i
RSPCA (2011) Public do not understand battery cage law, December 27 2011