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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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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.