Morrisons’ poultry trading manager Jamie Winter said animal welfare had always been a central issue for the supermarket.

“We see animal welfare as an extremely important factor when sourcing our produce, that’s why we’ve taken action on eggs. It’s something we know our customers care about as many of them already prefer free-range and organic shell eggs. ‘’

Committing to selling only own label cage-free shell eggs by 2010 was just the right thing to do,” he said.

Farm animal welfare charity, Compassion in World Farming, commended the two for their actions and it is now calling on Tesco and Asda to commit to sourcing their eggs more ethically too.

Compassion in World Farming’s food policy officer Rowen West-Henzell said: “Tesco and Asda are the top two UK retailers. They should be setting the example not dragging their heels on an issue that is clearly important to British consumers.