Papa John’s and Pizza Hut have announced that they will be adopting cage-free policies, after discussions with animal welfare group The Humane League, which has organised similar arrangements with supermarkets Tesco, Iceland and Morrisons.

Papa John’s has produced a timeline to eliminate cages from its egg supply in the UK by the end of 2019, and Pizza Hut has announced cage free policies for its restaurants in the UK and Ireland. Pizza chains Ask Italian, Zizzi, Prezzo, Strada, Bella Italia, Pizza Express and Domino’s have all made commitments to eliminating eggs from caged birds from their supply chains.

Pru Elliott, Head of Campaigns, at the Humane League, said, “With all of the United Kingdom’s largest and most popular pizza and Italian chains committed to eliminate cruel cages from their egg supply chains, it is clear that cage-free policies are swiftly becoming the standard for every food company in the country. These policies from Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and more will reduce the suffering of countless hens each year. The Humane League applauds the companies’ efforts to take a step in the right direction for farm animal welfare in the EU.”

The UK is one of the EU’s highest consumers of eggs, and around 40% of the UK’s laying hens are still reared in cages. In the EU as a whole, 60% of laying hens are caged (over 200 million birds)