ANIMAL rights activists wanted to ban a traditional Easter egg rolling event loved by children.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demanded the event was halted unless dairy-free chocolate Easter eggs were used because it said egg production is cruel.
PETA targeted the event in Stourbridge in the West Midlands which is the focal point of the town’s Easter festivities.
The group claimed in a letter sent to organisers that the egg industry confines countless birds to “severely crowded battery-style cages”, in which the floor space is “little larger than the size of an A4 sheet of paper”.
A Peta spokesperson said: “You can’t ignore the cruelty of the egg industry, which crams millions of smart, sensitive chickens into cages so small that they cannot stretch out even a single wing, let alone do anything else that comes naturally to them.
“By switching to vegan eggs, Stourbridge can help stop this suffering without sacrificing any of the fun.”
But despite PETA best efforts, the popular event in which children rolled chocolate eggs down a hill went ahead on April 20th at the park.
A recent survey showed more than 63 per cent of practising Christians believe that Easter egg hunts, egg painting and activities, are a good way of engaging children with Christian festivals such as Easter.
