Brits should replace Easter egg roll with POTATO tumble, woke experts

It’s a tradition that dates back centuries.

But people should swap their annual Easter egg roll for a potato roll, woke experts say.

Campaigners from PETA argue eggs come from ‘tormented hens who live miserable lives’ and that Easter celebrations should be modernised.

Rather than rolling painted eggs down a hill – a practice that has been popular in the UK for hundreds of years – PETA is urging people to use dyed potatoes instead.

One of the oldest events in the UK is the annual easter egg roll that has been held in Preston, Lancashire, since at least 1867.

In a letter to organisers Elisa Allen, PETA’s vice president of programmes, said making the switch to potato–rolling would ‘reduce animal suffering, teach children empathy and kindness, help the planet and support British potato farmers’.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘Children love animals and would be sad to learn that the eggs used for fun and games at Preston’s egg rolling event come from tormented hens who live miserable lives on Britain’s farms.

‘Easter should be a time of renewal and joy for all sentient beings – and that means hens, too.’

The rolling of eggs down a hill at Easter is thought to symbolise the rolling away of the stone from Jesus’s tomb, marking his resurrection.

The tradition, also called ‘pace–egging’, requires children to paint a hard-boiled egg before rolling it down a hill to see whose can go the furthest without breaking.

In the letter to Preston Council’s events team, Ms Allen said: ‘We’re writing with a request: switch eggs for potatoes for your annual Easter rolling contest.

‘This small tweak to usher in potato–rolling fun would ensure the event welcomes everyone, including those who avoid eggs for religious, cultural, or environmental reasons, or because they oppose the abuse of chickens in the egg industry.’

She argued that chickens are inquisitive, intelligent individuals who form complex social bonds and use communication that reflects their personalities.

‘But Easter is far from a time of renewal or joy for them,’ the letter reads.

‘For us to eat, or roll, their eggs, millions of sensitive birds are confined to cramped, filthy sheds for their entire lives, often unable to stretch their wings, breathe fresh air or feel sunshine on their faces, let alone forage, dust bathe or enjoy short flights for enrichment.’

The use of eggs – whether to eat or roll – also heightens the risk that avian flu becomes the next pandemic, Ms Allen added.

Potatoes, on the other hand, see ‘no cruelty during their journey from paddock to plate’ and have a carbon footprint roughly 10 times lower than that of eggs, PETA argued.

‘Evolving your event into the Preston Tater Tumble’ is a simple, appealing way to reduce animal suffering,’ the letter concludes.

The campaigners argue that even ‘free–range’ or ‘organic’ egg farms restrict chickens’ natural behaviour like foraging, exploring, taking dust baths and roosting.

PETA has previously released footage of suppliers for Happy Egg Co, one of the UK’s largest ‘free–range’ egg brands, showing sick, miserable birds packed by the thousands into dirty, dark sheds.

The shocking video appears to show balding hens covered in bloody wounds, while activists claimed the sheds were piled high with faeces.

The footage is said to have been filmed at three farms in Cumbria, Gloucestershire and Hereford, which all supply eggs to the business.

PETA said some of the company’s so–called ‘happy hens’ had died and their corpses were left to rot among living birds at the sites.

Commenting on the footage The Happy Egg Company said: ‘Maintaining the highest animal welfare standards is extremely important to us and we took immediate action when we were made aware of the existence of the video by the RSPCA after they were approached by PETA. 

‘Each of the farms underwent independent, rigorous inspection by the RSPCA and all have been cleared, having the compulsory standards in place.

‘We routinely audit farms to ensure that they conform to all UK industry standards and we conducted additional inspections as a result of the video to ensure that the farms were fully compliant.

‘Nothing is more important to us than the safe and proper care of our hens.’

A Preston City Council spokesman said: ‘Egg Rolling in Preston dates back more than 150 years and is a well-established tradition, regularly attracting 30,000 visitors each year. 

‘Whilst historically visitors turned up with hard boiled eggs, more recently these are often switched for chocolate eggs to be rolled down the hill at Avenham Park. 

‘The event does not prescribe the type of egg to be rolled, and visitors have the choice as to what they roll down the hill.’