SAFE is continuing their campaign, asking Countdown supermarkets in New Zealand to stop selling all cage eggs, as their parent company Woolworths has done in Australia.
SAFE makes the following statements on their website: “We want Countdown to make the same commitment and phase out the sale of all cage eggs; we want them to ‘Name the Date!’
“Three million layer hens are suffering in cruel cages, right now. Public disapproval of caging hens has led to a phase-out of standard battery cages by 2022. Sadly, the suffering does not end there, as yet another cruel cage system will replace them. In the new colony battery cages each hen has a living space barely larger than the size of an A4 piece of paper.
“Supermarkets can help improve animal welfare. They are a major purchaser of animal products and have the ability to put in place standards of care in their supply chain. They respond to what their customers want, and that’s why you have the power to demand a better life for egg laying hens.
“A recent investigation has uncovered just how miserable life is in a colony cage, making it all the more urgent for Countdown to make a change.”
SAFE’s plea on social media “Please help hens by being their voice” has attracted substantial support, including recent posts from actors and TV personalities such as Lisa Chappell (pictured) and Suzanne Paul.
Countdown is owned by Woolworths Australia who committed to stop selling cage eggs in Australia by 2018.
