Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    • August 2025
    • 2025 Poultry Health supplement
    • July 2025
    • 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    • October 2023
    • Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    • September 2023
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
  • FREE Email Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
Twitter LinkedIn
Podcast
Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    1. August 2025
    2. 2025 Poultry Health supplement
    3. July 2025
    4. 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    5. June 2025
    6. 2025 Innovation supplement
    7. May 2025
    8. April 2025
    9. March 2025
    10. 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    11. February 2025
    12. January 2025
    13. December 2024
    14. November 2024
    15. October 2024
    16. September 2024
    17. 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    18. August 2024
    19. 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    20. July 2024
    21. 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    22. June 2024
    23. 2024 Innovation supplement
    24. Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    25. May 2024
    26. April 2024
    27. March 2024
    28. February 2024
    29. January 2024
    30. December 2023
    31. November 2023
    32. Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    33. October 2023
    34. Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    35. September 2023
    Featured

    Poultry Business – August 2025 issue out now

    By Chloe RyanAugust 13, 2025
    Recent

    Poultry Business – August 2025 issue out now

    August 13, 2025

    2025 Poultry Health supplement out now

    August 13, 2025

    Poultry Business – July 2025 issue

    July 1, 2025
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
Poultry News
Production

Comment: Sustainability is complicated

Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanJanuary 10, 20243 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

By Kerry Maxwell, communications manager, British Poultry Council

Commentary out of COP28 that the momentum on lowering emissions “must not trample on animal welfare” is a fair call to make. A sustainable and productive food system spins a lot of plates. There are a number of factors, from affordability to carbon emissions to welfare, that are intertwined and vital to our transition into a fairer and greener society. But the notion that animal welfare risks being sacrificed to lower emissions is one that undermines any opportunity to create meaningful change that defines British poultry meat producers’ responsibilities and contributions to feeding people, tackling inequalities with safe and affordable food, and ensuring a liveable climate for all.

Ours is an industry committed to producing food that people trust and value: our world class health and welfare standards are feeding the nation in a cost-of-living crisis, and we continue to make strides in improving our efficiency and productivity to meet our environmental targets and ambitions. Equally, we have made it no secret that premium production systems require more inputs and are ultimately less productive; these and environmental sustainability are currently moving in different directions.

That is not to say, despite the various production systems we use, we do not have a responsibility to the wellbeing of both our birds and planet. It is also not to say that birds reared indoors in a controlled environment (as 85% of the billion birds we produce annually are) do not have good welfare. Being half the meat the nation eats, our birds are the most valuable part of the farm. I suppose my question here is what the definition of ‘good welfare’ is, given that getting farming off the ground and caring for our birds while using less inputs to produce good outputs is not ‘bad welfare.’ Our goal is to strike the right balance aligning continuous improvement in welfare with wider environment and affordability priorities.

By no means are these issues linear or neatly boxed, but the path towards a sustainable food system isn’t about sacrificing one factor for another. Doing so will only dilute our impact and purpose in the long run. Careful consideration must be paid to the intersect of our responsibilities to welfare and the environment, but it’s also a unique opportunity for us to celebrate what we do, why we do it, and drive thoughtful improvements whilst providing safe, affordable and nutritious food for all.

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Previous ArticleConsultation opens on changing egg labelling rules
Next Article Comment: We are greater than the sum of our parts
Chloe Ryan

Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

Read Similar Stories

Housing

NFU survey reveals ageing UK poultry housing

September 3, 20252 Mins Read
Production

Poultry numbers grow in England, driven by broilers

August 29, 20251 Min Read
Hatching

Comment: Lessons from the hatchery

August 22, 20252 Mins Read
Latest News

Environment Agency refuses Cranswick permit for Norfolk farm redevelopment

September 3, 2025

NFU survey reveals ageing UK poultry housing

September 3, 2025

Chicken price rises fuels meat and poultry inflation in August

September 2, 2025
Sponsored Content

How can UK farmers make poultry profitable without losing welfare?

September 1, 2025

Precision Nutrition: A global approach to reducing broiler feed cost.

August 1, 2025
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

  • Farmers Weekly
  • AA Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • Pig World

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.