Sustaining Suffering: The Truth Behind the ‘Sustainable’ Chicken Forum

The BCC was designed by scientists and animal welfare groups to improve the lives of chickens raised for meat.

A crucial component of the policy is changing the breed of chicken from overbred, rapid-growing birds dubbed ‘Frankenchickens’, to more robust, slower-growing birds. Studies have shown that this dramatically improves the animals’ wellbeing.

But the SCF does not require members to change the breed of their birds, despite the fact that the ultra-fast growing breeds which dominate the chicken industry often suffer from severe welfare problems, including muscle diseases, bone deformities and burns from lying in their own waste.

The report estimates that the eight companies behind the SCF will condemn an estimated 479 million birds a year to intense suffering, equivalent to the combined population of the United States, United Kingdom and France.

This is despite the fact that, according to the report, ending the use of Frankenchickens would cost UK shoppers an average of 46 pence extra each week.

The report has supportive quotes supporting the BCC from Chris Packham, Waitrose, the Siobhan Abeysinghe of the Royal Veterinary College and the Eating Better Alliance.

Chickens are the most farmed land animal in the UK, with 1.1 billion raised and killed for meat every year.

Key findings from the report include -

7 out of 8 SCF members have announced expansion plans in the last year, whilst simultaneously rejecting the BCC for alleged environmental reasons.

Adopting the BCC will result in an 11% rise in emissions rather than the 24% rise the SCF claimed.

Slower-growing breeds require up to 9 times less antibiotics than fast-growing breeds.

The SCF currently has no public welfare targets, no transparent reporting framework and no roadmap for change.