On May 14, 09, Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming, welcomed winners of the Good Egg award, and guests, to a House of Commons ceremony which marks a remarkable achievement: one billion eggs are now laid by cage-free hens.

Some of Britain’s best known companies – the BBC, Channel 4, Debenhams, John Lewis, Virgin Trains, Little Chef – are now recipients of the award, having committed to sourcing only eggs from cage-free hens – free range, barn-kept or organic.

But the most important step forward for us is that Friends’ House has also achieved a Good Egg.

Paul Grey, Head of Hospitality, says:

To win a Good Egg award, we at Friends House have committed to only using free range eggs in all the products we serve to staff, Friends and visiting customers. To achieve this award meant every product we use had to be painstakingly checked and in many cases changed. I wish to thank Adam Pannell (Deputy in the department) for this work, as, without him, we would not have achieved the criteria required to have been nominated.

We are to date the only religious building to have been awarded with a Good Egg award and last night I was accompanied by Marian Hussenbux, representing Quaker Concern for Animals, who first brought this to our attention.

Marian and I hope that that maybe other Meetings and individual Friends will follow Friends’ House’s lead and will pledge to go cage- free.

The awards were presented by Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, Penelope Keith, actress and patron of Compassion and Angela E. Smith MP, PPS to the Prime Minister, who has for many years been a friend to the animals. The event was sponsored by the Independent newspaper.

Paul receives the Good Egg from Rosie Boycott

For the full list of winners, please visit:

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/good_egg_awards/english/2009_winners/food_service

The photo below shows Feargus O’Connor and Marian Hussenbux, for QCA, and Paul Grey.