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Barn egg campaigner launches new petition
Lucy is now calling on Asda and Morrison's to follow Tesco's lead and end the sale of eggs from caged hens.

Lucy Gavaghan takes fight to Asda and Morrisons

A 14-year-old girl who successfully campaigned for Tesco to end the sale of eggs from caged hens is now calling on ASDA and Morrisons to follow suit.

In February 2016, Lucy Gavaghan from Sheffield launched a petition calling on Tesco to end caged and barn farming.  

After receiving some 280,000 signatures, 750 letters from supporters and a meeting with Tesco's head of agriculture, that goal was finally reached.

Last Wednesday (13 July) the supermarket giant announced that it is to stop sourcing eggs from caged hens by 2025.

Not wanting to give up the fight, Lucy has now taken her petition to two other major British supermarkets - Morrisons and Asda - who, so far, have announced no plans to do the same.

Lucy argues that if they were to only sell free range eggs, demand for caged hens would 'drop enormously.'

'The fact that Tesco, the biggest supermarket in Britain, have decided to stop selling caged hens’ eggs is proof that no matter how big the company, or how demanding the supply chain, the prospect of a free-range future is not impossible,' writes Lucy.

'I know people worry about cost but the supermarkets can & must provide for people and families who require lower cost options by reaching a compromise that means products are affordable as well as sourced from a free range environment,' she adds.

Launched on Monday, Lucy's petition has already received over 120,000 signatures. It can be found at www.change.org.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.