Matthew Chalmers
After millions of birds died in the last heatwave, animal charities have joined forces to demand better.
Charities including The Humane League UK, Open Cages and Animal Equality have submitted a letter to the Government asking they legislate the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).
Around four million chickens died in the last heatwave from suffocation and organ failure.
Change is needed now to make sure that millions of chickens are protected in the future.
This is even more urgent as global warming means that heatwaves may become more regular.
The government must legislate the BCC and provide lower stocking densities, better ventilation, and the use of hardier slower-growing breeds, who can cope better with extreme heat.
There are existing laws that require ventilation to prevent overheating, and animal charities are also asking the Government to enforce these as well as prosecuting wrongdoers.
Reports from the last heatwave continue to surface, including one who described entering the farm after the heatwave to find “an ocean of green, rotting mush”, which surviving birds were seen eating.
Fast growth increases body heat production, making Frankenchickens susceptible to heat stress which increases the birds’ already high blood pressure.
The combination of heightened blood pressure, particularly around the lungs, and high body temperatures cause heart failure, hyperventilation, confusion, dizziness, diarrhoea and death.
Adopting the BCC would also alleviate a range of chronic health and welfare problems faced by fast-growing birds like lameness, muscle disorders, impaired breathing, and organ failure.
The Department of Agriculture knows about the dangers of heat stress, publishing a guide on it in 2005 and thousands of chickens died in a heatwave in 2019, so why were they unprepared?
Most of the birds who died in the last heatwave were destined for supermarket shelves, with Moy Park and 2 Sisters, who supply Morrisons, Tesco and Co-op and others, being among those impacted.
Fast-growing ‘Frankenchickens’, who are selectively bred to maximise profits, make up around a billion of the 1.16 billion chickens slaughtered each year in the UK, or 90% of the UK flock.
These animals are being pushed to the brink and beyond, and tragedies like this are a feature of modern industrial farming.
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