In recognition of its full support of the improvement of animal welfare across Europe - in particular egg-laying hens - the National Trust has been awarded for its use of only Freedom Food, free range eggs by its catering teams across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust has won a 2008 Good Egg Award from the animal welfare charity Compassion In World Farming, recognising that the 500,000 plus eggs used in the baking and cooking within Trust restaurants and tea-rooms are all free range and Freedom Food accredited.
The awards, which were announced last night at glittering reception at the Terrace Pavilion, House of Commons, encourage cage-free egg sourcing across Europe, with previous winners from countries including Spain, Austria and Germany. Other major British organisations who have won the award include Waitrose, JD Wetherspoon and The House of Commons who have all changed their egg-sourcing policy to free range eggs.
Stuart Richards, Head of Commercial Operations for the National Trust, says:
'We are proud that the half million eggs used by the National Trust each year are strictly free range and Freedom Food accredited, as we believe strongly in the humane treatment of chickens and the importance of free range food.'
Rowen West-Henzell, Food Policy Manager at Compassion in World Farming, says:
‘We’re thrilled to be awarding such a well-respected organisation for its leadership in this area. Many people may not realise that when they sit down for a tea break at a National Trust property the cake they’re tucking into has been made using only free range eggs. We hope that by giving them a Good Egg Award, more people will know the National Trust only uses free range eggs in the food they serve.’
The half million Freedom Food, free range eggs used each year by the Trust is equivalent to ‘saving’ the lives of over 1850 egg-laying hens every year; for each hen that is able to produce free range eggs will have been able to lead a more natural life, with space to go outside, scratch and nest, and be saved from living in the cramped and often torturous condition of battery cages.
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