Free-Range?

I went to investigate a wopping new metal barn recently built on the hillside above my mother's village. On the single track road to the barn, I passed a rustic shed proclaiming "Free Range" eggs for sale. They were very cheap compared to the shops. I was intrigued.

When I reached the barn, my heart sank. How could this be described as Free Range? Of the tens of thousands of hens housed within this "multi-tier" system, only about 100 at most had made it outside. You can just make out some birds sitting on the lip of the nearest portal.... and it's quite a drop down. Once outside, the coarse gravel was a far cry from a natural earthen yard full of insects and earthworms. I did not see a single hen attempt to forage, for there was no point in this sterile environment.

I've since read up on this latest wheeze for producing loads of eggs at minimum cost. The multi-tier system is a fantastic state-of-the-art innovation that has been developed to suit production costs. Very few birds venture outside because they are so hemmed in and situated far away from the portals. They live in semi-darkness. Their lives are terminated at 72 weeks of age. Proper free-range hens can easily live for 10 years or more.

This system is supplying eggs marked as free range to Tesco, Sainsbury and other large supermarkets. Is this a cynical attempt to hoodwink a well-meaning public into thinking that the eggs they are eating are truly free-range?