Welfare standards for hens are at risk of flying the coop in 2020 because eggs from caged hens are likely to be served up to athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Having set sustainability objectives for the 2012 Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games (LOCOG) set a benchmark for animal welfare that required farmers to supply only free-range eggs and chickens at games venues and the Olympic Village.

The same standard for cage-free eggs was also used during the 2016 Rio Games, ensuring the chicken served there came from birds that were fed a natural vegetable diet.