The British Hen Welfare Trust (formerly the Battery Hen Welfare Trust) is the United Kingdom's first registered charity solely for laying hens. It was founded in April 2005 by Jane Howorth, and was established in order to raise awareness of the 20 million hens kept in cages in the UK at that time. Its activities include collecting hens which have reached the end of their commercial lives and re-homing them as pets. The charity's headquarters are near

Rose Ash Rose Ash, formerly Ralph-Esse, is a village and civil parish in North Devon district, Devon, England. In the 2011 census it was recorded as having a population of 298. The neighbouring parishes are Bishop's Nympton to the north, Knowstone and ...

, North Devon.

Aims

The aim of the charity is to reduce consumer demand for caged (

factory farmed Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming and macro-farms, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while ...

) eggs, while encouraging support for the British egg industry. This also includes educating consumers about processed foods which contain eggs, such as: cake, pasta, chocolates (

fondant Fondant is a mixture of sugar and water used as a confection, filling, or icing. Sometimes gelatin and glycerine are used as softeners or stabilizers. There are numerous varieties of fondant, with the most basic being poured fondant. Others inc ...

filled),

quiche Quiche ( ) is a French tart consisting of pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. A well-known variant is quiche Lorraine, which includes lardons or bacon. Quiche may be served hot, warm or co ...

, ready-made

Yorkshire pudding Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common British side dish, it is a versatile food that can be served in numerous ways depending on its ingredients, size, and the accompanying compone ...

s, ready-made

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...

s, biscuits, ready meals ( TV dinners), and noodles. As of 2016, approximately 46% of UK battery eggs are used by food manufacturers and in the leisure industry. The BHWT re-homes thousands of ex-commercial hens every year across the UK with the help of its volunteers. In 2021, the charity was made up of 12 employees, 5 trustees, and over 900 volunteers. The cumulative total of hens re-homed reached 500,000 in 2016, 840,000 in 2021. and 900,000 in 2022. All the hens are taken out of the farms and re-homed the same day. This means they can go from cage to backyard pet in as little as a few hours. The charity wants hens to be viewed as pets, rather than livestock, and regularly promotes the benefits of keeping hens as pets through national and regional PR. The BHWT regularly talks about the joy of seeing a hen in daylight for the first time. These birds have never sun bathed, dust bathed, nor stood on solid ground before. The Trust seeks to work and cooperate with farmers instead of condemning them. It does not concur with any extremist views or tactics and is not associated with any other organisation or group linked in any way to battery hens. Patrons of the charity include

Bob Mortimer Robert Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May 1959) is an English comedian, podcast presenter and actor. He is known for his work with Vic Reeves as part of their Vic and Bob comedy double act, and more recently the '' Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing ...

, Jamie Oliver, Pam Ayres, Amanda Holden, the Duchess of Richmond, Kate Humble,

Philippa Forrester Philippa Clare Ryan Forrester (born September 1968) is a British television and radio presenter, producer and author. Throughout her career, Forrester has presented shows such as CBBC, ''Tomorrow's World'', Crufts, ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' ...

Julia Kendell Julia Kendell (born 25 April 1968) is an English interior designer, television presenter and writer. Biography Born in Middlesex, Kendell went to Newnham Junior School in Eastcote, and Haydon Secondary School in Northwood. Career Aged 14 she bega ...

Jimmy Doherty Jimmy Doherty (born 24 May 1975) is an English television presenter and farmer. A childhood friend of Jamie Oliver, Doherty is known for the show '' Jimmy's Farm'', detailing the operation of the Essex Pig Company that he and his wife Michaela ...

and Antony Worrall Thompson.

Campaigns and awards

The Trust has successfully campaigned to change the food industry, playing a part in

Hellmanns Hellmann's and Best Foods are American brand names that are used for the same line of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sauce, salad dressing, condiments and other food products. They have been owned by the British multinational company Unilever sin ...

making the switch to using only free-range eggs in its mayonnaise. Jane Howorth, the charity's founder and chief executive, was appointed

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

in the

2016 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2016 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to battery hen welfare.

References

External links

* * {{EW charity, 1109060 Animal charities based in the United Kingdom Charities based in Devon 2005 establishments in England

Aims

Campaigns and awards

See also

References

External links