Stores failing in the 'egg leagues'

A survey found nearly 80% want to ban battery eggs

Top name supermarkets have come in for criticism for failing to ban eggs produced by intensively farmed battery hens.

Animal protection charity the RSPCA says consumer concern means supermarkets should only stock free range eggs.

Sainsbury, Safeway and Asda were singled out for criticism, while Marks and Spencer, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols were praised for their free range produce.

Farm animal welfare is in all our hands, and we urge the public to vote with their shopping baskets

RSPCA spokesman

The RSPCA is calling for a ban on all types of cages for egg-laying hens by 2007.

The charity says despite fears from customers over battery eggs, supermarkets are still putting them on the shelves.

A recent survey suggested nearly 80% of the British public want a ban on battery cages as a priority.

Click here to see how battery hens are kept.

Chain store giant Tesco was just behind the other top names for failing to impose a ban.

The guilty stores also use battery hen eggs in their ready meals and recipes for cakes and sauces, the RSPCA said.

New directive

The RSPCA named Marks and Spencer as most free-range friendly- it only sells eggs from non-battery hens.

The RSPCA asked companies if they would sell only free-range and barn eggs if caged eggs were banned in England.

Safeway, Sainsbury's and Asda were unable to give a firm guarantee on both eggs and own-brand products containing eggs, the charity said.

Battery cages will not be outlawed by the EU until 2012

Tesco gave an "equivocal commitment" to selling whole eggs would not make assurances over its own-brand products containing eggs, the RSPCA stated.

A new European directive will outlaw battery cages throughout Europe from 2012.

The law will still permit the use of larger so-called "enriched" cages.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "Farm animal welfare is in all our hands, and we urge the public to vote with their shopping baskets and put pressure on retailers for change in the husbandry of our laying hens."

In the fast food market, Kentucky Fried Chicken, part of an industry often criticised for the way it rears its poultry, performed well in the eggs league.

It uses free-range in its batter. McDonalds, too, has a free-range policy, as does Pizza Express.

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