Ways you can make a difference for chicken welfare
Most chickens reared for meat grow so big so fast that they suffer serious and painful health problems, including lameness, heart defects, organ failure, breathing difficulties, muscle disease and weakened immune systems. They have been bred to grow unnaturally large at an alarming rate – four times faster than 50 years ago. Their bodies struggle to cope with the rapid growth, making it difficult for them to engage in natural behaviours like perching, pecking, foraging and playing. Instead, trapped in oversized bodies, and struggling to support their own weight, they spend much of their time sitting in their own waste.
A chick that weighs 40g when it hatches is capable of growing to 4,000g in just eight weeks. If humans grew at a similar rate, doubling and redoubling body mass almost seven times in eight weeks, a 3kg newborn baby would weigh 300kg after two months!
Chickens are sentient beings, and they deserve better. That’s why we joined forces with other European NGOs to push the food industry to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment. This science-based initiative promotes healthier, slower-growing chicken breeds, providing them with more space, natural light and enrichment, as well as more humane slaughter methods.
The good news is that over 125 food companies in the UK – including M&S and Waitrose - have already signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment. However, many of the UK’s top supermarkets – who hold significant power over the country’s chicken industry and animal welfare standards – have yet to make this pledge. While M&S now offers 100% Better Chicken Commitment-compliant fresh chicken, and Waitrose is on track to meet its commitment, all the other major supermarkets have not yet made this crucial pledge.
Lower welfare chicken should not be an option on supermarket shelves.
This is where you can make a difference!
Please use our automated email to reach out to the major UK supermarkets that have not yet signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment - ALDI, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Encourage them to adopt higher welfare standards and move to slower-growing breeds for ALL the chickens in their supply.
Dear Supermarket,
I am writing to strongly urge you to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment and shift away from using fast-growing broiler chicken breeds in your supply chain. These chickens are bred to grow so big so fast that they frequently suffer from severe health issues, including lameness, heart conditions and breathing difficulties. Their oversized bodies cause muscle degeneration and immense pain, severely limiting their ability to exhibit natural behaviours.
As a concerned customer, I am deeply troubled by the inhumane conditions these chickens endure, and I am unwilling to buy meat produced under such practices.
I encourage you to follow the lead of M&S and Waitrose by adopting the Better Chicken Commitment. This move will not only elevate broiler chicken welfare standards but also strengthen the trust that consumers like me place in your brand to act ethically and responsibly.
Thank you for considering this important issue.
