By Dr Tracey Jones, Global Director of Food Business, Compassion in World Farming
Meeting the 2026 Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) deadline is no small feat. Many companies are facing real challenges in transitioning to the higher welfare criteria. Yet, as Compassion in World Farming’s ChickenTrack report, published in March 2025, makes clear, the need for accelerated progress is urgent. With consumer expectations for better animal welfare rising, businesses must act now to honour their public pledges and drive meaningful change for broiler chickens.
Despite the challenges, the long-term outlook for BCC implementation remains positive. Over 380 companies have signed up to the BCC, and some are already proving that success is possible. M&S led the way in the UK, launching its 100% BCC-compliant fresh chicken range as early as September 2022, and is on track to be fully compliant across all chicken products by the end of 2026.
Waitrose launched its 100% BCC-compliant fresh chicken in April and will be fully BCC-compliant across all its own-brand chicken – frozen, processed and ingredient (including ready meals and sandwiches) – by August 2025, ahead of schedule.
Momentum continues to build as more BCC pledges roll in. In April, Domino’s UK and Ireland committed to sourcing all chicken meat from BCC-compliant farms. This public commitment by a well-known high street brand plays a crucial role in raising consumer awareness and driving industry progress. Domino’s has published a public roadmap with clear milestones for full BCC implementation by 2032.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition became the first pet food manufacturer in Europe to commit to the BCC in April, pledging full compliance by 2030. This commitment is significant, as the pet food sector is a major stakeholder in the transition to higher welfare standards as it buys large amounts of products and by-products enabling full carcase utilisation. Hill’s has published a detailed roadmap for BCC implementation and plans annual progress updates to be shared on its website to ensure accountability.
Other companies are also making strides. In Compassion’s latest ChickenTrack report, Greggs improved its compliance across key BCC criteria, including stocking density (49% to 65%), natural light (16% to 78%), and enrichment (64% to 85%).
Premier Foods plc reported 65% overall compliance in 2024, marking a significant improvement on the previous year where they reported only 45% compliance on stocking density and enrichment.
While most UK supermarkets have yet to formally adopt the BCC, many are aligning with key elements of the criteria.
Tesco, for example, now meets the BCC’s stocking density standard (30kg/m²) across all fresh chicken and markets its BCC-compliant range under the “slower grown” label. Sainsbury’s led the way in adopting a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m² for its chickens in March 2023, prompting Morrisons, Co-op, Aldi and Tesco to follow suit. This swift, industry-wide shift has improved conditions for a large proportion of UK chickens and now paves the way for the broader introduction of slower-growing breeds, critical for further welfare benefits, in the future.
Some companies have raised concerns about the sustainability of slower-growing breeds. However, leading scientists, NGOs, and assurance schemes agree that welfare and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Sustainability must be viewed holistically. It’s not just about emissions—animal welfare is a critical component. Compassion’s recent resource, Sustainability of Broiler Production, outlines both the potential impacts and the mitigation strategies available, while highlighting the broader benefits of higher welfare systems.
Support for businesses transitioning to the BCC is available. Compassion in World Farming’s Better Chicken Business Network (BCBN), launched in October 2024, now includes over 160 members from more than 110 different companies across 17 different countries. It offers resources, events and exclusive content to support companies and brings together producers, distributors, manufacturers, retailers and any other company involved in the broiler chicken supply chain. Compassion also provides a Supplier List to help companies source BCC-aligned products and a marketing toolkit, to support communication and consumer engagement.
Strong leadership is essential to drive change. Companies must prioritise chicken welfare and set a higher standard for the industry. Each chicken is a sentient being, deserving the opportunity to express natural behaviours and live a better life.