Retailer Spotlight 2025 - Chicken Welfare

Most UK supermarkets have chosen to lower stocking densities for their chickens raised for meat i.e giving their birds more space.

At The Humane League UK this is something we have welcomed. Having more space is better for the wellbeing of these birds. As long-standing campaign targets such as Lidl, Morrisons and Co-op adopted this policy, we were proud that our supporters played a part in improving the lives of hundreds of millions of animals.

Most announced their move back in 2024, and implemented it in 2025. But this year Asda finally announced they’d follow suit, although it may take until 2027 for chickens in its supply chain to get the extra space.

However, this has also created a serious problem. The supermarkets have now circled their wagons around these moves. They believe they have done enough, and have even begun marketing their birds as ‘higher welfare chicken.’

This is utterly dishonest and unprincipled.

More space is good; but it's less than the bare minimum. The core issue of breed, which has always been at the heart of our campaigns, has been completely sidelined. With the notable exceptions of Waitrose and M&S, every single UK supermarket is selling overbred birds whose explosive growth wreaks havoc on their fragile bones, muscles and organs.

Their genes are broken, with giant Frankenchicken bodies growing on delicate skeletons evolved for animals half the size. This leads to higher rates of lameness, which leads to immobility, which leads to animals lying in their own excrement, which leads to ammonia burns and blisters on their legs and breasts.

They have been given more space; but when your body is sick and your flesh is a cage, a bigger shed can only do you so much good.

So in 2026 we are regrouping. We are focusing. And we are going to take the fight to the supermarkets like never before. We will not stop until these companies have, to a tee, signed up for a Frankenchicken-free future.

Supermarket breakdown

• Waitrose - By the end of August 2025 Waitrose had implemented the Better Chicken Commitment for all of its own-brand, fresh, frozen, and ingredient chicken. This means no more Frankenchickens across its entire chicken supply chain, going further than M&S. This makes it one of two UK supermarkets who have boldly paved the way in setting a new standard for chicken welfare.
• M&S - M&S fully implemented the BCC back for its fresh chicken range in Autumn of 2022, making it the first British company to stop using Frankenchickens, and has therefore acted for chickens more quickly than any other retailer on this list.
• Sainsbury's - Sainsbury’s was the first retailer to give their birds more space, back in March 2023.
• Tesco - Tesco announced in June 2024 its stocking density move and implemented it the first half of this year.
• Morrisons - Had given their birds more space by November 2024.
• Aldi - Aldi implemented lower stocking densities in October 2024.
• Lidl - Their chickens got lower stocking densities early this year.
• Co-op - Lower stocking densities from November 2024.
• Asda - Announced it was improving stocking density in October 2025, but may only finish implementation in 2027.
• Iceland - They are the only major retailer left who have not committed to improving their birds stocking density. This means they could still raise Frankenchickens at 38kg per square metre, which is 13.5 birds per square metre, the legal limit.

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