U.K. grocery chains toss caged-hen eggs

LONDON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Five British supermarket chains have pledged to stop selling eggs produced by caged hens.

The Sainsbury, Morrisons and Co-op chains said this weekend they would join Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, which had already stopped selling eggs from caged hens, The Sunday Times of London reported.

Animal welfare advocates, including celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, have been campaigning for the move on the grounds that keeping thousands of hens cramped together in tiny cages -- the industrial technique known as the battery method -- is cruel and unhealthy for the animals, the newspaper said.

The supermarkets said they will only sell eggs from barn-raised or free-range hens.

Two other large British chains, Asda and Tesco, have said they are working to reduce the number of caged hen eggs they sell.