Animal welfare activists have disrupted a Farmfoods-sponsored event in protest of the supermarket’s continued sale of eggs from caged hens.

Volunteers from The Humane League UK stormed the Farmfoods Tartan Pro Tour today (28 April), entering the clubhouse at Royal Dornoch Golf Club with megaphones and chanting at players and spectators, before continuing to heckle the event from outside the course.

The charity’s demonstration follows the Scottish supermarket becoming one of the last major UK retailers still sourcing eggs from caged hens, despite growing industry moves toward cage-free supply chains and government plans to phase out cages nationally.

The Humane League also claim that Farmfoods previously committed to moving to cage-free eggs following a 2016 campaign, but has failed to fully implement that pledge.

“We take no pleasure in disturbing golfers during their tournament,” said The Humane League campaigner manager Claire Williams.

“But Farmfoods has shut down dialogue, and insisted on continuing to force thousands of hens to remain in tiny, cramped, and painful cages.

“[Farmfoods’] owners George and Eric Herd have the opportunity to do the right thing by their customers and the chickens by declaring that cruel cages are no longer welcome in the Farmfoods supply chain.”

Caged hens have long been flagged as an animal welfare concern, due to the practice’s causing weakened bones and stress for the birds, as well as preventing them from performing key instinctual behaviours such as dust-bathing and wing-flapping.

The supermarket’s egg-sourcing policy states: “We also sell free range eggs at competitive value ensuring choice for all consumers.”

However, The Humane League allege some stores, including one near the retailer’s Cumbernauld headquarters, were selling only caged eggs in late 2025, leaving shoppers with no alternative ‘cage-free’ choice.

The group also claimed Farmfoods had sold caged eggs at the same price as free-range eggs available at Aldi.

The Humane League UK said its petition calling on Farmfoods to end caged egg sales has attracted more than 50,000 signatures, and argued that the retailer, which reported £1.1 bn in sales in 2024, should use its revenue end the practice of caged hens.

The recent protests comes amid the government’s plans to official phase out “enriched” colony cages for laying hens, with a proposed ban set for 2032 following consultations that ended in March 2026.

This month, Lidl GB announced it is now 100% cage-free across its own-brand shell eggs, joining fellow discounter Aldi, which made the switch in 2024.

It is understood only Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and The Co-operative are completely caged-egg free, with other UK supermarkets in various stages of pledges and commitments.

Farmfoods has been contacted for comment.

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