Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • FREE Magazine Subscriptions
    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. July 2022
      2. June 2022
      3. May 2022
      4. April 2022
      5. February 2022
      6. January 2022
      Featured

      Protected: Poultry Business – July 2022

      By Michael BarkerJune 28, 2022
      Recent

      Protected: Poultry Business – July 2022

      June 28, 2022

      Protected: Finalists Supplement – National Egg & Poultry Awards 2022

      June 27, 2022

      Protected: Innovation Supplement 2022

      June 1, 2022
    • Jobs
      • Browse Jobs
      • Post a Job
      • Manage Jobs
    • Events
      • National Egg and Poultry Awards
      • Poultry Fair
    Poultry News
    Production

    Better Chicken?

    Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanSeptember 9, 20194 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    More firms are coming under pressure to sign up to Compassion In World Farming’s Better Chicken campaign. The NFU says it has serious concerns.

    Tesco is the latest big beast of the corporate food world to embrace the Better Chicken Commitment. Although the details are still being finalised by the retailer, Tesco has confirmed it will launch a fresh chicken product range that will be reared with lower stocking densities and using slower growing breeds. The retailer will stock the new indoor-reared lines alongside its current Red Tractor Assured products.

    As reported in PB last month, KFC became the first fast food giant to join other major buyers of chicken throughout Europe, including Sodexo, Compass Group, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Unilever in putting its name to the scheme.

    The Better Chicken Commitment, developed by Compassion In World Farming, has gained significant traction among retailers and foodservice providers across Europe. The move has caused ‘significant concern’ among producers, according to the NFU, which says the campaign has failed to recognise the progress made on welfare in recent years in standard production, and has fuelled a surge of animal right activity, including farm break-ins.

    The commitment requires businesses to commit that by 2026 they will exclusively buy chicken from farms that use slower growing breeds such as Hubbard JA757, 787, 957, or 987, Rambler Ranger, Ranger Classic, and Ranger Gold. It means a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2, more natural light and enrichment such as straw bales and the use of controlled atmospheric stunning.

    But the NFU says the campaign is placing significant pressure on the poultry sector and while it rightly calls for the industry to continuously scrutinise and improve standards, it does not recognise the advancements in poultry farming and fails to reflect on the latest scientific evidences. The NFU points out that poultry meat farms in the UK implement stocking densities that are far lower than the EU requirements, antibiotic use has declined by over 80% in the past six years in the poultry meat sector thanks to the support of responsible use principles which encourage the farmers and their vets to refine, replace and reduce antibiotics on farm, and advancements in genetics have resulted in bird health improvements.

    It suggests that campaigns such as the Better Chicken commitment may have helped inspire a surge in farm break-ins and undercover reporting. Improved management, shed and equipment design, and diets that match the bird’s needs have all resulted in improved liveability, improved growth rates and continuous improvement in welfare measure outcomes, factors the campaign doesn’t appear to acknowledge, the NFU adds.

    Breeding programmes over many years have also helped significantly by selecting genetic lines showing improved leg and health traits, says the NFU. In combination this has resulted in a healthier bird particularly compared to the breeds from 10 years ago where leg integrity was a challenge. The fact that birds use less feed to grow results in a lower carbon footprint – again something that is a key benefit to consumers and wider society. For the consumer these improvements have meant that poultry meat, produced to consistently high health standards, is affordable on most budgets. Much is made of the density of birds in poultry sheds. The NFU says some people still believe broiler chickens are kept in cages.

    UK domestic legislation sets limits on stocking density lower than that allowed for under EU legislation. Many European competitors will be stocking at 42 kg/m² whereas in the UK producers’ stock at 38 kg/ m². Over 90% of the UK industry is operating to these standards under the Red Tractor scheme. The NFU has consistently maintained that animal husbandry and stockmanship that are the greatest factors determining animal health and welfare, not farm size nor system of production. However, it appears momentum is growing, and with the UK’s biggest retailer embracing the scheme, it seems certain others will follow. As for the impact on producers, time will tell.

    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleResearch paves way for tackling AMR in poultry
    Next Article Brexit and mental wellbeing focus of farm charities summit
    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

    Production

    Comment: Why strategic male management is vital

    July 6, 2022
    Egg Production

    How sex selection technology is transforming the egg industry

    July 6, 2022
    Production

    Comment: The funding for research on avian influenza is much needed

    July 5, 2022
    Most Read

    New research: Strong demand for poultry but big operational challenges remain

    July 6, 2022

    Comment: Why strategic male management is vital

    July 6, 2022

    How sex selection technology is transforming the egg industry

    July 6, 2022
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Contractor
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

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

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALBCORS7 daysThis cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    CookieDurationDescription
    AWSALB7 daysAWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.
    explat_test_aa_weekly_lohp_2021_week_4517 days 8 hoursNo description
    ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
    tk_ai14 daysGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    tk_qssessionGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_71 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
    tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo