Animal Welfare / Broiler Chicken
1st October 2020
We are delighted to be working in partnership with organisations such as The Humane League, Open Cages and Animal Equality to engage our supply chain with a view to achieving a better standard of life for chickens farmed for meat
We are proud to announce that we have signed the European Chicken Commitment (ECC), thereby committing to meet or exceed the standards set out in the ECC by 2026 for 100% of the chicken across our entire European portfolio.
By 2026, we will require our suppliers to meet the following requirements for 100% of our fresh, frozen and processed chicken in our European supply chain:
- Comply with all EU animal welfare laws and regulations, regardless of the country of production.
- Implement a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2 or less. Thinning is discouraged and if practiced must be limited to one thin per flock.
- Adopt breeds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes: either the following breeds, Hubbard JA757, 787, 957, or 987, Rambler Ranger, Ranger Classic, and Ranger Gold, or others that meet the criteria of the RSPCA Broiler Breed Welfare Assessment Protocol.
- Meet improved environmental standards including: ● At least 50 lux of light, including natural light. ● At least two metres of usable perch space, and two pecking substrates, per 1,000 birds. ● On air quality, the maximum requirements of Annex 2.3 of the EU broiler directive, regardless of stocking density. ● No cages or multi-tier systems.
- Adopt controlled atmospheric stunning using inert gas or multi-phase systems, or effective electrical stunning without live inversion.
- Demonstrate compliance with the above standards via third-party auditing and annual public reporting on progress towards this commitment.
