Football fans join animal campaigners to condemn "vanity project Cop-out Live"
Campaigners said Co-op is copping-out of providing decent animal welfare standards to millions of birds.
Matthew Chalmers
Campaigners said Co-op is copping-out of providing decent animal welfare standards to millions of birds.
The Co-op’s giant new Manchester music venue Co-op Live has been targeted by campaigners urging the supermarket to improve animal welfare standards for chickens.
It’s obvious that sponsoring “Cop-out Live” is a misspend when low-welfare “Frankenchickens” still dominate Co-op’s supply chain. On Saturday, protesters were encouraged by football fans on their way to watch Manchester City - Bournemouth.
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"How can Co-op get away with that? I knew there was a reason why I was going vegetarian!" -Wendy.
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“It’s awful. I won’t buy chicken again from Co-op after seeing that. You’ve got to treat animals that you’re eating humanely. At least give them a nice upbringing. I wouldn’t touch them now. They [Co-op] need to revisit how they’re bringing chickens up and give them better living conditions." - Debbie
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We also projected images of Frankenchickens onto “Cop-Out Live” and set-up a spoof Cop-Out Live website, highlighting the plight of Frankenchickens and proposing our own alternative event for Co-op members. Supporters are also tweeting about the event on #CopOutLive.
An undercover investigation published in August exposed appalling conditions on a supplier farm linked to Co-op with birds showing many of the hallmark welfare problems of fast-growing breeds.
Fast-growing chickens, known as “Frankenchickens”, make up around 90% of the over one billion chickens reared and killed for meat in the UK each year. As a result of their rapid growth they can suffer from a wide range of health and welfare issues including heart attacks, organ failure, lameness, bone deformities, muscle diseases, and burns. Over one million die of illness in the UK every week, excluding bird flu deaths.
In May 2023, Co-op members passed a resolution to consider adopting the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) by a 96% margin. While they agreed to give their chickens more space, the Co-op board refused to stop selling fast-growing Frankenchickens, despite the breed being one of the main sources of intense suffering for chickens raised for meat.
The motion for the Co-op to adopt the BCC was headed by Co-op members from The Humane League UK. It was the only member-led motion which appeared at the supermarket’s AGM in Manchester in 2023.
An estimated 51 million birds supplied to Co-op each year would benefit from these improvements if the board implemented the BCC. This would make the Co-op the third UK supermarket to make the pledge, after Waitrose and M&S.
Currently only 2% of Co-op’s chickens raised for meat are reared to higher welfare standards, as opposed nearly 100% of their egg-laying hens and pigs.
Over 350 businesses in the UK and EU have committed to the BCC so far, including major and budget food companies like Pret A Manger and Greggs.
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