Iceland is the fourth biggest retailer of eggs from caged eggs in the UK and is known for its disregard of animal welfare. However, after campaigning by The Humane League and the Shrimp Welfare Project, Iceland supermarkets have finally committed to better welfare conditions to be introduced for chickens and shrimp. By 2027, Iceland has promised to only sell eggs from cage-free hens and have committed to stopping eyestalk ablation (cutting the eyes of mother shrimp without anaesthetics to stimulate egg reproduction) and instead use electrical stunners to quickly kill shrimp instead of suffocating them in ice-slurries.
Like many of animal campaigners, JVS hopes for a world where sentient beings (including chicken and shrimp) are not subjugated to human exploitation and consumption at all, irrespective of the conditions they are bred and killed in. Indeed, strictly observant Jews would not consume shrimp at all, nor non-kosher chicken from Iceland. However, promises like these made by big supermarkets affect the lives of billions of sentient creatures and can reduce suffering on massive scales. Therefore, in line with the Jewish value of tza’ar of ba’alei chayim, we can be glad of another step towards compassion & away from animal suffering.