Walmart becomes the largest food retailer in the country to mark a date for its switch to cage-free eggs by vowing to phase out eggs from caged hens in its stores by 2025.

The largest U.S. grocery chain controlling a quarter of the country’s market will require its egg suppliers to adopt industry standards for their treatment of hens by the said year, with a third party agency monitoring compliance.

“Our commitment to transition to a cage-free egg supply chain recognizes that expectation and represents another step we are taking to improve transparency for food we sell in our U.S. stores and clubs,” says chief sustainability officer Kathleen McLaughlin, with the new guidelines applying to its over 5,000 stores and its Sam’s Club warehouse chain.

As part of the transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs, Walmart will require all its egg suppliers to be certified by and fully compliant with the Animal Husbandry Guidelines of the United Egg Producers (UEP), with third-party monitoring and a challenge to use selective breeding techniques and management practices for the laying hens’ improved welfare.

The Humane Society lauded the move, emphasizing that it will likely have more benefits for animals “than any other corporate announcement” in the animal welfare movement’s history.

“The era of confining hens in cages in America’s food system is officially sunsetting,” announces the group’s CEO, Wayne Pacelle, in a blog post published shortly after the Walmart announcement.

Walmart, which said it has been offering some cage-free egg products since 2001, joins the roster of food chains and retailers with a deadline on the transition, including McDonald’s in 2025 and Burger King by 2017.

The move is also seen to pressure the egg industry into transitioning to completely cage-free environments, despite facing staggering costs. At present, a mere 6 percent or around 18 million birds are raised cage-free, according to estimates from the UEP.

Last year, Walmart also urged U.S. suppliers by the thousands to curb antibiotic use in farm animals as part of its commitment toward ensuring animal welfare.

Photo: Liz West | Flickr