Compassion in World Farming has criticised the partial adoption of the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) by some firms, and urged poultry companies that are moving to lower stocking densities to also use slower growing breeds.
The animal welfare NGO has published its second annual European ChickenTrack Report, which aims to “hold companies accountable” for any public commitments they have made. The BCC is a set of standards developed by NGOs, which include the use of slower growing breeds, reduced stocking density, and requirements for light and environmental enrichment.
CIWF said this year the majority of European companies that have signed up are falling behind.
The report looks at 85 companies (chosen for their geographic relevance, size and ‘chicken footprint’) across eight European countries. The featured companies comprise of 33 retailers, 14 companies in the food service and hospitality sector, 23 restaurants, nine manufacturers and six producers.
Of the 85 companies included in ChickenTrack, the highest proportion committed to the BCC is in France (a total of 28, of which 20 are reporting on their transition progress) and significantly all the major retailers in France have signed up to the BCC. In the UK, 18 companies have signed up.
In the UK, two retailers (M&S and Waitrose) have signed up. The report notes that other retailers including Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Morrisons have made commitments to reduce the stocking density of their chicken to 30kg/m². However, CIWF was critical of the fact these retailers are not using slower growing breeds. The report acknowledges that some retailers are offering a ‘tier’ of BCC-compliant chicken – such as Tesco’s ‘Room to Roam’ or Morrison’s ‘Space to Roam’.
Producer Norsk Kylling is the only company to have achieved 100% compliance in all of the BCC criteria, while six companies report 100% compliance against at least one criterion:
Danone Group – natural light
Marks & Spencer – natural light, enrichment and CAS slaughter (as well as 100% BCC compliance on fresh chicken)
Monoprix – breed
Nando’s – natural light and enrichment
Schiever Distribution (France) – stocking density, breed and natural light
Waitrose – stocking density, natural light, enrichment and CAS slaughter
Dr Tracey Jones, Global Director for Food Business at Compassion says: “It is encouraging to see an increase in companies working to deliver on their commitments and reporting on their transition progress. However, only when the full package of changes is made will chickens start to feel the benefits and the company can say its products are higher welfare.
“It is undoubtedly a challenging time for everyone, particularly with the cost-of-living crisis, but we need to keep pressing on.”