On Tuesday, September 15th at 10 am, L214 will have “petition cards” signed in the streets of Nice, then they will go to the Novotel Nice Centre, where accompanied by an activist dressed as a chicken, they will officially present the signed and collected cards from this summer in the streets of Nice to the hotel’s director, as well as a giant postcard to protest against battery farming.
Why choose this hotel chain?
The Novotel chain has nearly 400 hotels. In France, restaurant purchasing is centralized; these hotels serve eggs from battery-farmed hens. The L214 association has chosen to encourage a chain that shows its intention to lead in sustainable development. A positive decision by the chain would be a significant first in France.
Following the announcement of this tour, which was initially supposed to pass through Switzerland, the director of the Novotel in Geneva decided to stop using eggs imported from France from cage-farmed hens. Consequently, all Novotel hotels in Switzerland have now banned this type of egg. As for the Novotel France management, they have indicated they are considering the possibilities of banning eggs from battery-farmed hens.
The L214 campaign is being echoed in numerous cities: Metz, Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse, Biarritz, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Poitiers, Tours, Rennes, Amiens, Lille, Paris, Nancy, and Colmar.
A Majority of French People in Favor of Banning Battery Farming.
Battery cage farming does not have the approval of citizens, as a vast majority supports its ban (as is already the case in Switzerland and Austria). To the question “In the future, would you be completely in favor […] of banning cage farming for laying hens and only allowing free-range farming, knowing that this measure would result in an increase in egg prices?”, 86% of respondents answered “yes.” (3) In Europe, major groups are already committing to no longer sell battery eggs. This is already the case with Carrefour in Belgium and its own brand. Starting in 2010, Unilever (brands Amora, Maille) will no longer use battery eggs in their sauces and ready meals in 11 European countries, and McDonald’s will do the same in its restaurants in 23 European Union countries.
