Crowne Plaza Canberra and associate companies the National Convention Centre and Parliament House Catering are the first to join the RSPCA's Choose Wisely initiative.

The group's executive chef, Ian McInnes, said he had made the move not only for the birds' welfare, but also because barn-laid and free-range eggs tasted better.

The group uses 200,000 eggs a year in Canberra and it said any increased costs would be absorbed, not passed on to customers.

This is the first time the RSPCA has targeted a campaign at the business sector.

The initiative allows companies to sign up at one of three levels, depending on how few cage-egg products they use, so that they can advertise a gold, silver or bronze logo.

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the Government was also phasing out cage eggs.

"By May 2009, all ACT Government agencies including our hospitals, correctional facilities, CIT campuses and schools, will use barn-laid or free-range eggs," he said.

He has also offered Pace Farms $1million to change its Canberra-based facility from battery to barn farming, although it has not been accepted.

RSPCA ACT chief executive Michael Linke said he hoped enough Canberra businesses would sign on to the Choose Wisely campaign that Pace would be forced to accept the money and make the change.