The discount supermarket chain Lidl has removed battery hen eggs from the shelves of all of its Danish stores and plans to also remove battery eggs ‘hidden’ in other products from its range.
Finn Tang, the CEO of Lidl Denmark, explained that as well as being an ethical decision, the measure was motivated by Danes’ buying habits.
“As a company we have a responsibility for the products we sell being produced under proper conditions. We know that more and more Danes choose not to buy battery eggs, and we have therefore assessed that the time has come for us to remove them from our shelves,” he said.
“At the same time we have for some time been working on phasing out battery eggs in our other products, so we are well on the way with that:”
Good going
Britta Riis, the head of the animal welfare organisation Dyrenes Beskyttelse, supports Lidl’s decision.
“It’s good going by Lidl. Battery hens have very bad welfare. The conditions they live under go against their nature in every way,” she said.
“The fact that Lidl now takes responsibility for contributing to improve animal welfare is something we can only welcome. And I don’t for a second doubt that consumers will do the same.”
According to figures from the animal rights organisation Dyrenes Beskyttelse, 86 percent of Danes believe that retailers and food producers have a responsibility for animal welfare being adequate in the goods they sell.
