Asda and Tesco still says no to cage-free eggs
With two out of the UK’s four top supermarkets reducing their sales
of battery eggs, leading farm animal welfare charity, Compassion in
World Farming, is calling on the top two UK supermarkets to also say
no to cruelty and go cage-free.
Tesco and ASDA are falling behind their competitors by refusing to make a firm commitment to source their eggs more ethically - despite strong public opposition to keeping hens in cages and the recent announcement that Morrisons will go cage-free in all own-brand shell eggs by 2010.
News that the fourth biggest retailer will move to more ethical whole eggs under its own brand was applauded by Compassion in World Farming, who recently secured a commitment from Sainsbury’s, the UK’s third biggest retailer, to go cage-free on all of its shell eggs before 2012.
Waitrose and M&S are already cage-free on all the eggs that they sell and Co-op have recently joined them. Tesco in particular are being targeted by CIWF. With over 3.5 million hens needed to lay the eggs supplied by Tesco each year, a cage-free pledge would really represent a huge welfare benefit to millions of hens.
CIWF's advice is simple: only buy eggs that say ‘organic’, ‘free-range’ or ‘barn’ on the box. All eggs sold in the EU should be labelled to tell you how they’ve been produced. If they’re not don’t buy them (they’re likely to be from caged hens) and inform the shop manager that they are breaching EU law by selling unlabelled eggs.
The Good Egg Awards are for caterers, retailers or manufacturers who
only use cage-free eggs (barn or free range). The Awards will take place
in April. Look www.ciwf.org.uk
or on 01483 521950.
Top models campaign against child labour
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is leading an international
campaign to clean up cotton production. To support the campaign renowned
designers Luella Bartley, Christian Lacroix, Betty Jackson and Katharine
Hamnett have designed exclusive prints for a collection of t-shirts
produced on organic and fairly traded cotton. Now over 20 supermodels
have supported EJF’s ‘Pick Your Cotton Carefully’ campaign
by being photographed in the t-shirts.
The photos are available to see on EJF’s website. The t-shirts are designed around the theme of “childhood, lost innocence and hope” to represent more than a million children around the world forced to labour in cotton production. All proceeds from their sale go to support EJF’s valuable work. T-shirts are available to buy from £30 www.ejfoundation.org/shop.
EJF has campaigned to clean up cotton since 2005. The charity aims to eradicate forced child labour and the use of dangerous pesticides from cotton production, and asks all buyers of cotton to Pick Your Cotton Carefully, choosing organic and fair trade cotton. EJF’s latest investigative report: “The Children Behind Our Cotton” published in December 2007 is available to download for free.
Action on the Climate Change Bill
Campaign victory – One down, two to go
Campaigners trying to get the Climate Change Bill amended have been victorious. The Government announced that it would set an annual target range for emissions reductions (what campaigners have been calling annual milestones).
Stop Climate Chaos' demand for annual milestones, was one of 3 key changes they wanted to see made to the Bill. They’ve been calling for them as a way to ensure that the UK stays on track with its emissions reductions. The demand for annual milestones was one of 3 demands. So it’s 1 down, 2 to go. The remaining two are:
Stop Climate Chaos now want supporters to keep on contacting their MPs by email, letter, visiting them...until the Government announces that it’s going to make these two changes to the Bill too. Get involved!
