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Is higher welfare really that important?

Yes! Here’s why:

The compassionate choice:

Hens are sentient beings with the ability to experience pain, fear, discomfort and stress. Hens are intelligent, social and inquisitive, and they need enrichment so they can express natural behaviours and be happy and healthy.

Just like any other animal, they deserve to live a life free from pain and suffering and to experience kindness and compassion. Following the RSPCA standards improves welfare and helps millions of farmed animals to live better lives.

The commercial choice:

We also know that as consumers become more and more welfare aware, they are voting with their wallets and are increasingly choosing to buy higher-welfare produce. Don’t believe us? Here’s the data to prove it:

  • More than half (61%) of adults say they would either leave a shop and go elsewhere or refuse to buy eggs altogether if eggs from cage-free hens were not available.1
  • 78% of people who consume animal products also said they thought their shopping choices could make a positive difference to the lives of farmed animals.1
  • The majority of Brits are concerned about hen welfare - three-quarters of Brits say hen welfare is important to them, and two-thirds say they look for either the RSPCA Assured logo or free-range label when buying eggs.2
  • Only one percent of respondents said they didn’t believe hens needed access to a higher-welfare lifestyle, revealing an almost unanimous demand for higher-welfare products.2
  • Almost half of Brits (48%) say the RSPCA Assured label on egg boxes makes them feel more confident about where their eggs have come from and better about their choices.2
  • 85.31% of people said it’s not acceptable for hens to be kept in cages.3
  • 64.6% of people said they would not knowingly eat food containing eggs from caged hens.3
  • 54% of people would pay more for products that explicitly state they had not come from a caged animal.4
  1. RSPCA Assured commissioned survey conducted by YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2068 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd - 5th January 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
  2. RSPCA Assured 2024 pancake day survey
  3. A survey of 1,000 UK adults carried out via Survey Monkey in February 2022
  4. RSPCA kindness index 2023
What Have We Done For Welfare?

There are over 400 standards that protect the welfare of RSPCA Assured laying hens. Here’s a quick look at some of our key achievements:

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