What is the Better Chicken Commitment?

Why do we need the Better Chicken Commitment?

We are bombarded with advertising filled with images of happy animals on farms. Sadly, for the overwhelming majority of animals, this is not the reality.

In recent decades there has been an explosion in the amount of white meat being consumed. In the UK alone, there are over a billion chickens currently being raised for their meat and the vast majority of them are living on factory farms.

They live in crowded, often filthy sheds until they are slaughtered at just 5 weeks old.

For these 5 weeks they grow unnaturally fast, causing debilitating injuries. They are bred for profit, so the priority is getting the most breast meat in the shortest time. These young chickens often struggle to walk, their legs unable to support their body weight, and can suffer from heart disease due to too much pressure on their organs.

More recently, studies have shown that this accelerated growth is causing conditions which present themselves in the meat people buy off the shelves, such as woody breast (where the meat becomes tough and wood-like) and white striping (stripes of fat instead of protein running through the breasts), lowering nutritional value and quality.

Schemes like Red Tractor, while a positive step, is a quality assurance scheme that has done little for meaningful welfare improvements.

And yet, people are growing more interested in where their food comes from, placing more importance on welfare and health. In 2015, a survey by Mintel found that 74% of customers thought sourcing meat from animals that are well looked after is among the top criteria that makes a food company ethical. And with more and more instances of diseases passed from animals to humans, like the recent COVID-19 pandemic, global awareness of the link between meat and disease is at an all-time high.

How was the Better Chicken Commitment created?

Seeing the suffering of chickens on factory farms, a group of animal protection organisations, including The Humane League UK, got together to find a solution.

We agreed on a set of criteria that would become the leading standard for chicken welfare across the food industry. We named it the Better Chicken Commitment and, since then, it has driven the industry towards higher welfare practices from producers, retail, hospitality and restaurants.

What is the Better Chicken Commitment?

The BCC is a set of 6 criteria, summarised below:

1. Comply with all EU animal welfare laws and regulations The marketplace is global, and our food is imported from all over the world. It is important that, for a company to truly meet good welfare standards, it must comply with all EU animal welfare laws and regulations, regardless of the country of production.

2. Not exceed maximum stocking density Currently, in the majority of factory farms, chickens are crammed into barns, often thousands at a time. They have very limited space to move, and are more likely to suffer painful ammonia burns on their legs and bodies due to the waste on the floor. As part of the BCC, companies must implement a maximum stocking density of 30kg per metre squared, which is around 15 birds per metre squared at a slaughter weight of 2kg.

3. Use higher welfare breeds Whilst chickens originate from wild birds, the modern breeds used for meat are a far cry from their wild ancestors. These chickens have been selectively bred over many years so they now grow too big and too quickly. This has led to increases in heart disease, painful leg conditions and a drop in meat ‘quality’, with issues such as woody breast and white striping.

To meet the BCC, companies must use higher welfare breeds that are slower growing with less health issues.

4. Provide an improved environment For many chickens, their whole life is spent in a completely barren environment with dirty litter, constant artificial lighting and no stimulating activities. Aside from the physical effects this has on these animals, their mental wellbeing is simply not even considered.

To meet the conditions of the BCC, companies must give chickens at least 50 lux of light, including natural light, at least two metres of usable perch space, and meet set requirements for air quality. They also must not use cages or multi-tier systems.

5. Slaughter The most prevalent slaughter method for chickens produced in the UK and Europe is live-shackling. Each chicken is hung upside down by their feet in metal shackles, already painful considering the poor leg and hip health that many of these birds suffer from. An electrified water bath is then meant to give them a shock that renders them unconscious. However, many are not effectively stunned and continue to the next stage while conscious and still shackled. Their throats are then cut and, even then, some are still alive, although bleeding slowly to death, to experience the boiling water that is used to remove their feathers.

While there is no humane way to slaughter an animal, the BCC reduces distress and pain at slaughter by as it requires the use of controlled atmospheric stunning without live-shackling. Controlled atmospheric stunning means that the chickens are exposed to inert gases or biphasic CO2 that renders them unconscious before slaughter.

6. Regular audits Finally, companies must continue to uphold the criteria once they are meeting them, and show this through third-party auditing. Annual public reporting on progress towards commitments must be provided too. This ensures a consistent level of compliance.

A company must meet all 6 of these criteria to fulfil their commitment to the BCC.

What does the Better Chicken Commitment mean for chickens?

In numbers, chickens are one of the most widely abused animals on the planet. They are crammed into filthy barns, bred to grow so fast and big that they can be in constant pain, and then slaughtered in ways that maximise fear and suffering.

But the improved conditions that the BCC demands are a light at the end of the tunnel after decades of abuse. Meat consumption may not be going away any time soon, but we have an obligation and a responsibility to reduce the suffering of the animals in our care as much as possible.

Although there are millions in factory farms, the Better Chicken Commitment can mean an improved quality of life for each chicken raised for food. Each company that commits to the BCC can make a huge difference to leading the industry to a more compassionate version of itself. Already, through our work on the BCC, we've increased the number of chickens in higher welfare systems by 5%. This equates to a huge 50 million animals each year.

A detailed analysis by the Welfare Footprint Project found that chickens raised to BCC standards experienced an estimated two thirds reduction in pain defined as 'disabling pain' throughout their lifetimes. They also experienced an estimated 24% reduction in 'hurtful' pain and 78% reduction in 'excruciating' pain.

What does the Better Chicken Commitment mean for us?

High intensity farming, of any animal, poses a risk to human health. There is higher opportunity for the spread of disease and more use of antibiotics as treatment and preventatives, which means an increased risk of antibiotic resistance in humans.

We also know that, in chickens, this leads to meat with less nutritional value and lower quality.

Does better welfare mean it’s OK to eat chicken?

Whenever we use an animal, for food, fashion or cosmetics, it will cause suffering. We know that we cannot change the world overnight, but by improving the lives of animals in our food system we are taking steps towards a more passionate world.

The best thing you can do to avoid chicken suffering in your diet is to leave them off your plate. Why not start by incorporating more plant-based meals into your week? We share lots of recipes and tips in our newsletter, as well as updates on our campaigns. You can sign up to get all this into your inbox below.