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Morrisons has become the first major supermarket to sell only free range eggs.

Customers will no longer be able to buy caged eggs in any of its stores.

The chain had originally committed to move away from caged eggs by 2025 after listening to a consumer campaign spearheaded by teenager Lucy Gavaghan in 2016.

Morrisons later shifted its goal date to 2022.

But after doubling the number of free-range farmers that supply its egg packing business, Morrisons has achieved its aim even earlier than its revised deadline.

The commitment means all Morrisons’ eggs will come from hens that have outdoor access for at least eight hours each day, as well as nest boxes with wide perches and spaces for scratching and dust bathing.

(Image: Morrisons)

Morrisons is continuing to work on ensuring that 100 percent of eggs used as ingredients in products are from free range hens by 2025.

The supermarket chain is also dropping the price of a pack of six free range eggs from 80p to 75p to make them more affordable.

Morrisons sells over 10 million eggs a week, with two million previously coming from caged hens.

Robert Hofmann, Morrisons egg buyer, said: “Improving animal welfare is very important to customers and it’s very important to us.

“From today, all our eggs will come from free-range hens that are able to roam freely outdoors – typically during daylight hours – and then return to nest boxes in the evening.”

Dr Tracey Jones, director of food business at Compassion in World Farming, said: “It’s great to see Morrisons achieving their commitment to be 100 percent free range on shell eggs ahead of their 2022 target.

“Momentum on ending the use of cages for laying hens is growing and Morrisons are leading the way.

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“Importantly, they also have a 2025 cage-free commitment on the eggs that go into processed and ingredient foods.”

In 2018 Morrisons introduced a popular ‘pick your own eggs’ service enabling customers to choose and pack their own free-range eggs in recycled boxes – choosing from one single egg to a tray of 30.