Egg Production Methods

Lidl’s Egg Method of Production Labelling Initiative

Our shell eggs are 100% British and assured to the British Lion standard. This standard is globally recognised for its approach to animal welfare and food safety, ensuring that these topics are a top priority throughout our egg supply chain.

Each egg is given a unique identification code which is traceable back to the farm it came from. This code identifies the type of production method used, providing full traceability for each egg purchased from within our stores.

At Lidl we have used our Welfare Windows to take this approach one step further, providing customers with further information at the point of sale on the production methods used for the eggs sold in our stores. Through this greater transparency, we aim to support customers to make a more informed purchasing decision on the egg that is right for them.

Egg Production Methods

Further Information:

Method of Production	British Enriched Colony	British Barn	British Barn+	British Free Range	British Organic
Space Allowance ^{(by useable area)}	Minimum 600cm² per bird	Maximum 9 birds per m²	Maximum 9 birds per m²	Maximum 9 birds per m²	Maximum 6 birds per m²
Colony Size* ^{*A colony is the subdivision of a flock, with a flock being the total number of birds in a barn}	Birds live in colonies as per space allowance above	Maximum 6,000 birds	Maximum 4,000 birds	Maximum 4,000 birds	Maximum 3,000 birds
Animal Welfare/ Enrichment	Small nesting and scratching area in each cage, perch rails and nesting curtains	15cm² perching space per bird 1m² nesting box per 120 birds 1/3 of the house must allow dust bathing 2 pecking objects per 1,000 birds or 12 per colony	15cm perching space per bird 1m² nesting box per 120 birds 1/3 of house must allow dust bathing 2 pecking objects per 1,000 birds or 12 per colony Access to straw and other destructible objects	Same as barn standard, plus: Continuous daytime access to outside of at least 4m² per bird	Sames as Free Range standard, plus: 18cm perching space 6 birds per nest box (individual) 1m² per 120 birds (communal) Vegetation-rich range Access to the range from 12 weeks
Assurance Partners	British Lion	British Lion	RSPCA Assured British Lion	RSPCA Assured British Lion	Organic Farmers & Growers EU Organic Label RSPCA Assured British Lion

Assurance Partners

CASE STUDY: Lidl’s Cage-Free Commitment

Lidl is constantly looking at ways to develop animal welfare standards in its supply chains, particularly when it comes to the egg sector. In 2012, the British egg industry made significant investments to its enriched colony (otherwise known as caged) systems. Thanks to these investments we are able to guarantee that all birds sold at Lidl GB that are reared through a British colony system have access to more space and better enrichment (such as perching rails and scratching areas) than parallel systems within other parts of the EU and the USA. These birds are also regularly checked by trained stock people to ensure their welfare is being closely monitored on a daily basis.

As part of the commitment to continually developing animal welfare standards within this sector we have made the additional commitment to phase out caged-egg systems altogether by 2025. To achieve this we are working in close collaboration with our suppliers and the wider industry to deliver sustainable solutions for the sector, whilst also delivering a high quality product for our customers. In 2020 we were pleased to be awarded a ‘Good Egg Award’ by the animal welfare NGO ‘Compassion in World Farming’ for our efforts to date.

Further information on our approach to sustainable egg sourcing can be found here.