In an Animal Justice Project first, we have commissioned a YouGov poll which asks consumers how much they know about the egg industry. The poll has hit the press and been featured in the Vegconomist and Larder Mag.

Unsurprisingly, our survey has revealed that consumers know very little about the cruelty and pain egg-laying hens are forced to endure to produce eggs.  As part of our 'Cage-free Isn’t Cruelty-free' campaign, this survey has provided us with vital insight into how and why consumers are choosing to buy eggs.

THE RESULTS

In a survey of 2,305 UK adults, 68% purchased eggs regularly and the majority (59%) said animal welfare and free-range was important to them.  Millennials were most likely to care about animal welfare, with 63% saying animal welfare is important when buying eggs.

Most respondents (64%) thought that hens had daily access to the outdoors and the majority of those surveyed (82%) didn’t know that hens are killed at 18 months old in the egg industry.

On the contrary, our most recent investigation revealed hens being kept inside for up to four days on three separate farms, despite being certified as free-range. Whilst our investigation last year revealed free-range hens being viciously caught and slaughtered at just 18 months old – a common industry practice in commercial farms.

Unsurprisingly, most respondents (57%) said that the killing of chicks within 24 hours was unacceptable. Despite this we know that this happens to 29 million chicks a year in the UK.

Our survey highlights how disconnected British egg consumers are from the reality of where their eggs come from, especially when it comes to ‘high-welfare’ and free-range marketing.

Our Cage-free Isn’t Cruelty-free campaign aims to change that by showing the Rotten reality for cage-free hens, hidden behind misleading marketing and packaging propaganda. Keep an eye on our channels for future Cage-free actions in the coming months.

As always,

For the animals.