Germany's Rewe Group has announced that it will stop selling eggs from hens with shortened beaks, from September 2017 onwards.
With this move, Rewe is the first commercial business to adopt this stance, ahead of legislation banning these eggs that is set to be introduced in mid-2018. The legislation does not apply to organic egg production, where the integrity of beaks is already obligatory.
Ambitious Goal
Branches of the poultry industry have reached agreement with the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to stop keeping young chicks with shortened beaks, from January 2017 onwards.
In June 2016, Rewe Group issued a voluntary declaration to not sell eggs from hens whose beaks have been painfully cut off from the end of 2017 onwards. This announcement means that the retailer has achieved this goal ahead of schedule.
Pro Planet
Rewe Group has been part of the Pro Planet egg project for some time now and has supported efforts to enable its suppliers to gain experience with hens whose beaks are uncut.
In a pilot project, the Rewe exclusive brand 'Spitz & Bube', features eggs from hens whose beaks are not shortened.
Rewe's discount operation, Penny, has been selling eggs from hens with uncut beaks since January 2016, and since the beginning of 2017, it have been selling eggs under the 'Herz Bube' brand.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Larissa Zimmer. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
