Chickens Deserve Better

We’re appealing the Court’s decision

Share
twitter-white-icon
fb-white-icon
linkedin-white-icon
email-white-icon
link-white-icon

The fight for justice for chickens isn’t over. We’re appealing the Court’s decision, for the sake of each of the millions of chickens on factory farms right now.

Broilers in shed, suffering in own faeces unable to stand under own weight.
Andrew Skowron / Open Cages

After our case against the Government for allowing fast-growing ‘Frankenchickens’ was dismissed by the High Court, we’ve launched an appeal.

Last month we stood in court and argued that the Government was breaking the law by allowing fast-growing chickens, who we’ve dubbed ‘Frankenchickens’.

The law clearly states that animals cannot be kept for farming purposes if their genetics cause health and welfare problems. Chickens raised for meat are growing four times faster than a few decades ago, bred to produce as much meat as possible in the shortest time possible. But this is unnatural and, as a result, they can often barely stand up and experience painful burns to their skin, organ failure, and even death from sudden heart attacks.

Despite this, the Court dismissed our case against Defra.

We were incredibly disappointed by the decision the Court made in Defra’s favour and think the judgement was wrong. From video footage from investigations to a RSPCA report, there is overwhelming scientific consensus that chickens raised for meat suffer due to their breed. Defra itself has offered no evidence to contradict the RSPCA report and even accepted that there are welfare problems with fast-growing breeds of chicken.

If a law that exists to protect animals from suffering due to their breeding isn’t applicable to these poor Frankenchickens, who is it supposed to protect?

We can’t let this stand. That’s why we’re appealing the Court’s decision, for the sake of each of the millions of chickens on factory farms right now.

Despite being in full knowledge of the devastating impact the genes of fast-growing breeds of chicken have on the welfare of our most farmed animal, Defra claims they are lawful. These are major contradictions that we hope are given scrutiny in the Court of Appeal.

~ Edie Bowles, Managing Director of Advocates for Animals

If our appeal is successful, we’ll be granted another hearing to argue the case later this year.

To be the first to hear about this, and our other campaigns for animals raised for food, sign up to receive our emails.

SIGN ME UP!