Woodland hens roam free – for cracking eggs

Woodland hens roam free – for cracking eggs

At Sainsbury’s, we’ve raised £9.8m for the Woodland Trust, primarily through free-range and organic egg sales. But woodland habitats can also mean free-roaming hens – for top-quality eggs.

What do keeping healthy hens and protecting British woodland have in common? The answer lies in our partnership with the Woodland Trust.

For every dozen free-range or organic eggs we sell, we donate 1p to the charity. This means that, over the years, we’ve managed to donate £9.8m to help conserve Britain’s ancient woodland.

A boiled egg and soldiers on the breakfast table

Our egg tracker
We’re proud of our eggs. That’s why we invite customers to track the farm their egg comes from – using the Sainsbury’s egg tracker.

Healthier chickens

Hens roaming in woodland

We’ve stocked eggs from hens in woodland since 2004, after learning that they like to shelter under trees, to protect themselves from predators.

This makes them happier to range further, spending more time outside, which leads to health benefits.

Of course, at Sainsbury’s animal welfare doesn’t only apply to our free-range and organic ranges. All eggs we sell are from cage-free hens – whether they’re fresh eggs or in our own-brand products.

“Our partnership with Sainsbury’s is an exemplar partnership.”

Barbara Young
Chairman of the Woodland Trust

But there’s another link. Woodland habitats are good for hens – because they roam more freely in the shade and protection of the woods.

Woodland Trust experts help our farmers plant trees on farms – providing essential advice on native species and tree maintenance.

On farms that provide our free-range and organic ranges, trees cover at least 20 per cent of the hens’ habitat – so they can roam happily and healthily, which means better quality eggs.

£9.8m

donated to the Woodland Trust through the sale of free-range and organic eggs

Our partnership with the Woodland Trust

Our £9.8m in donations to the Woodland Trust has come from the sale of more than 5.4 billion free-range and organic eggs – and has helped fund the planting of 3.9 million native trees and counting.

As well as supporting the Woodland Trust from the sale of eggs, we also donate 2p from the sale of every free-range chicken, and 10p from the purchase of every free-range turkey at Christmas.

" Our partnership with Sainsbury's is an exemplar partnership and such a success due to its strong mutual benefits and the growth of the woodland products. The Woodland Trust has been planting trees and standing up for woodland for over 45 years, and Sainsbury's support has been a crucial part of our journey, helping deliver ambitious projects and planting millions of trees over the last 15 years. I cannot thank Sainsbury's enough for continuing to support and work with us to ensure that together we protect and create woods which are a future lifeline for both people and wildlife." Barbara Young, Chairman of the Woodland Trust. 
So our support for the Woodland Trust is helping to protect this precious natural resource for us today and for future generations.

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