Lee Pillar
How many Matt Hoods does it take to advocate for better animal welfare standards…?
Co-op Managing Director of Food, Matt Hood, is refusing to stop selling Frankenchickens in Co-op stores. We won’t stand by as chickens continue to suffer. So we arranged a covert hijacking of the IGD conference in Manchester to spread this message to Co-op’s partners and suppliers.
The Pre-Brief
At 7am on a grey, drizzly Thursday morning in Manchester, a handful of THL staff and volunteers sat in a city centre Starbucks, sipping oat lattes and munching plant-based breakfast sandwiches. Rather than our usual jumpers and comfortable trainers, that morning we wore smart blazers, clean shirts, and black turtlenecks.
We looked like we’re about to attend an important business meeting; which I suppose, in some ways, we were.
The Reason
A huge 96% of Co-op members voted in favour of Co-op adopting the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) at the most recent AGM. But Co-op’s bosses, including Managing Director of Food, Matt Hood, declared that they will still not be adopting the BCC in full.
The Better Chicken Commitment
The Better Chicken Commitment is a set of six criteria which certify better welfare conditions for chickens being sold for meat in the UK. They are science-based and address the breed of chicken, how they are housed, and how they are slaughtered.
A key part of the BCC is the use of slower growing breed of chickens, rather than Frankenchickens. Frankenchickens are selectively bred to grow 400% faster than is natural for their bodies, which can lead to a whole range of issues, such as heart strain, organ failure, and muscle diseases.
The Plan
Following his refusal to adopt the BCC in full, we wanted everybody to know exactly what Matt’s stance was. So a top secret plan was concocted for us to hijack Co-op’s IGD meeting at Manchester Conference Centre, where Matt himself would be speaking in front of hundreds of Co-op’s partners and suppliers.
The Agenda
We kicked the hijack off by equipping ourselves with two hundred highly official-looking fake agendas, which we handed to guests as they entered.
On one side was a fake programme for the day, calling out Co-op bosses for their reluctance to improve welfare standards in their supply chains. Some highlights of the agenda include Matt Hood ‘Delivering an essential update on the world of Co-op and Pure Cruelty’ and Guy Stuart ‘Showcasing our Sustainability strategy; why green washing and welfare washing is better than actually doing what members have asked’. The other side detailed current standard industry practices, as well as information on the BCC.
With a failed attempt to get inside the building after security told us they’d received ‘mixed messages’ on allowing delegates up without tickets, we informed them we’d be standing outside the entrance and kindly requested they beckon us in once they get approval for us to go upstairs.
However – it didn't take long for a staff member to clock on to our roguish behaviour and start to confiscate the agenda from guests as they entered. She then warned us to move away from the doors. So we did – by going further along the pavement and informing guests there had been a last-minute change to the schedule and to make sure they have a quick read of the new agenda before they go upstairs.
The Protest
Soon, more of our staff and volunteers arrived, setting up camp directly opposite the entrance in a silently stoic line wearing masks of Matt Hood. Guests started to take photos, with one or two breaking away from the queue to find out more about why we were there. Co-op’s PR Manager approached us with a spurious smile, announcing, “I’m not going to say it’s nice to see you, but I hope you stay dry and stay safe!”.
I joined the rest of the gang by popping on a mask and picking up a placard to further strengthen the message. With a sudden influx of perhaps 50 or 60 guests queuing up outside, many took time to read the comments, absorb the graphic images, take photos, and ponder a little deeper on the issue before they entered the conference, where I’m certain there were flustered conversations being had backstage.
With our gang of Matt Hoods celebrating his disregard for animal welfare through sarcastic handshakes and back slaps (for social media, of course!), we spent the rest of the morning in the light shower of Mancunian rain until the very last guest entered, having successfully revealed the truth behind Co-op’s “high welfare standards” to well over a thousand guests.
No sign of the real Matt Hood unfortunately, who must have snuck in through the back door. But with the impact we seemed to have on the staff down on the ground, there’s no way he wasn’t aware of his activist doppelgängers!
The Aftermath
But that wasn’t the end of our action. Far from it. Making our way back to Starbucks, the team got straight onto uploading the event’s photos and videos to social media to spread the word and get other animal lovers involved. Within hours, #CrueltyAtTheCoop was trending on Twitter, with images of Matt Hood and Frankenchickens flooding the feed. And by the end of the day, Matt Hood’s Twitter had gone private!
The hijack was a success – but to maximise its effectiveness, we need your support as we continue to campaign for chickens.
Animal welfare standards in the food industry need to improve. The neglect and abuse these animals face is unacceptable, and Co-op need to step up and take responsibility for the suffering they cause. This can only happen if we, the public, continue to demand improvements. We cannot let Matt Hood dictate the fate of millions of innocent lives. He is not their spokesperson. We are.
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