Egg sector leads Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards

Cage-free production beneficial for customers, brands and birds, say award ceremony’s organizers.

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CIWF Patron, businessperson and TV personality Deborah Meaden (left) presents Manjunath Marappan, Founder Director CEO of Happy Hens, with the Good Egg Award.
CIWF Patron, businessperson and TV personality Deborah Meaden (left) presents Manjunath Marappan, Founder Director CEO of Happy Hens, with the Good Egg Award.
Courtesy Jean Paul Loyer

Thirteen Good Egg Award winners were announced at this years Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards, established to recognize companies’ commitments to farm animal welfare and the environment and organized by animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming (CIWF).

The latest edition of the awards, held in Paris, France, on October 21, saw a Good Egg Award presented to an Indian company, Happy Hens, for the first time.

Happy Hens is an emerging leader in the Indian poultry industry, CIWF says, and was presented with a Good Egg Award in recognition of its mission to encourage more famers to adopt cage-free systems, increasing awareness and demand for cage-free eggs across India.

The company’s impact extends beyond is own operations, having played a pivotal role in establishing Asia’s first consortium for alternative poultry, the Cage-Free and free-Range Poultry Producers Association.

Additionally, Happy Hens is developing India’s first cage-free training facility which, from 2025, will train over 1,000 farmers annually, further advancing higher welfare practices across the country.

On receipt of the award, Founder Director/CEO of Happy Hens Manjunath Marappan, said: “Receiving the Good Egg Award is truly an honor. It's a reflection of the collective effort and passion of our entire team. The award symbolizes the commitment to kindness and animal friendly farming standards that we strive for every day. This recognition inspires me and a million farmers in India to continue fostering humane farming standards and creating a positive environment for hens, farmers and consumers.

Broad recognition

Other companies recognized in the Good Egg category were supermarket chain Lidl, for its operations in Spain and Poland, and egg company Kipster.

CIFW notes that, since 2019, all eggs sold at Lidl Spain, both fresh and in ingredient form, have been sourced from cage-free birds while in Poland the company is making significant progress, with 48% of its shell eggs and 99% of eggs in its own-brand products now being cage-free.

Kipster was awarded the Good Egg Award for expanding it higher welfare, carbon neutral egg production model to the U.S.

Ruud Zanders, Kipster co-founder commented: “This is a profound honor for Kipster as it affirms our unwavering commitment to the care and attention we put into ensuring the welfare of our birds.”


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