Comedians join anti-cage eggs campaign

Laughter is a useful tool for getting across a message on an unpleasant topic.

That's the tack Animals Australia has taken in its latest television campaign urging consumers to shun battery cage eggs, featuring comedians including Arj Barker, Carl Barron, and Kath and Kim's Peter Rowsthorn.

Mick Molloy is seen tenderly cradling a rescued battery hen, saying: "That ain't no way to treat a lady."

Rowsthorn says: "Think about it if you got caught on a really crowded train and the doors shut, and there you were, for the rest of your life. That's not good."

The advertisement follows the Make it Possible campaign by the animal welfare group in October when Woolworths pledged to phase out all cage eggs by 2018.

The move angered farmers, with the Victorian Farmers' Federation saying egg suppliers had five years earlier invested in new cage systems that met industry requirements, and that they would not be compensated for Woolworths' pending ban.