Challenges facing the Better Chicken Commitment

A recent study by the Royal Veterinary College has highlighted key challenges preventing the UK poultry industry from adopting higher welfare standards outlined in the Better Chicken Commitment.

Longstanding concerns about the welfare of conventional broiler chickens used to produce chicken meat have led to commitments by 104 UK retailers, restaurants, and food service providers that by 2026, their poultry products will meet the Better Chicken Commitment requirements, which include production using slower-growing strains that demonstrate better welfare outcomes. However, a wide-scale transition to production using these strains has not yet occurred in the UK.

Economic pressures, environmental concerns, and a disconnect between consumer purchasing habits and awareness have slowed progress, despite growing interest in improved welfare practices.

Challenges of Achieving Higher Welfare Standards

To explore the challenges surrounding the attainment of these higher welfare standards, the Royal Veterinary College interviewed 30 industry representatives familiar with the Better Chicken Commitment, focusing on why transitioning to slower-growing broilers remains particularly difficult.

Co-funded by the Animal Welfare Foundation and the British Poultry Council, the study revealed a consensus among those interviewed that slower-growing chicken strains experience better welfare than their conventional fast-growing counterparts when raised under the same conditions. However, substantial concerns regarding increased economic and environmental costs present significant barriers, along with uncertainties about consumer willingness to pay for these welfare improvements.

Perspectives on sustainability shaped differing opinions on feasible solutions. Retailers and industry representatives highlighted the need to reduce carbon emissions to meet net-zero targets, viewing cheaper chicken products as essential to satisfying consumer demand and preventing a shift towards lower-welfare imports. Consequently, they deemed slower-growing broilers financially and environmentally impractical, advocating instead for welfare improvements within conventional broiler production or the adoption of more efficient intermediate-growth strains as a compromise.

Conversely, welfare charities, scientists, and assurance schemes adopted a broader perspective on sustainability, arguing that animal welfare should be integrated into sustainable food production rather than regarded as a competing priority. They emphasized concerns related to water pollution, biodiversity, and socio-economic factors.

Consumer Confusion on Production Practices and Labelling

Participants also indicated that consumer purchases do not accurately reflect true preferences due to widespread confusion surrounding production practices and labelling. They emphasized the necessity for transformative change within the food system that encompasses strategies to reduce the economic and environmental costs associated with slower-growing broilers, improve clarity in labelling and marketing, and promote a ‘less but better’ approach to chicken consumption.

Dr. Siobhan Abeyesinghe, an associate professor in animal behaviour and welfare science at the Royal Veterinary College and lead author of the study, stated: “These results highlight an urgent need for a better understanding of UK consumer expectations regarding broiler welfare and welfare labelling, and how they prioritize welfare in relation to environmental costs and price. This is a major missing piece of the puzzle that stakeholders face when realistically assessing both the importance and feasibility of various improvements to the welfare of over a billion chickens raised annually. For welfare improvements to be market-driven, they must offer significant value to consumers compared to the additional costs, while balancing against other sustainability goals.”

Tesco’s Commitment to Enhancing Poultry Welfare

The issue of poultry welfare is a complex one, and Tesco has recently announced the completion of a significant enhancement to its poultry welfare operations. While it does not officially sign the Better Chicken Commitment, Tesco plans to provide additional financial support to its suppliers and farmers, amounting to around £50 million (€59 million) per year, to help implement welfare enhancements and cover associated costs.

This initiative represents a major advancement in welfare standards across the industry and builds on Tesco’s existing higher welfare brands, which already offer more space for birds to roam and increased access to environmental enrichment, such as straw bales, perches, pecking objects, and natural sunlight.

Claire Lorains, the group quality and sustainability director at Tesco, commented: “We’ve collaborated closely with our British farmers to ensure that all our core fresh chicken meets higher welfare standards, providing 20% more space than the industry norm. This commitment supports British agriculture while considerably enhancing welfare standards across the UK’s poultry industry. Customers can enjoy high-quality chicken while still benefiting from great value.”

*The study, titled ‘Stakeholder views on shifting UK chicken meat production to slower-growing broilers’ is published in the journal Frontiers in Animal Science.