Study identifies ‘major missing piece of the puzzle’ for improving broiler welfare

Chicken meat is the most consumed meat in the UK, but only a fraction is produced to higher welfare standards, RVC said.

The college explained that the BCC’s science-based standards for broiler chicken welfare address issues relating to fast growth, housing, stocking density, and slaughter to help drive the food industry towards higher welfare practices.

To better understand the challenges and limitations to achieving higher welfare standards, the RVC interviewed 30 representatives with knowledge and engagement with BCC – specifically relating to why switching to slower-growing broilers appeared particularly problematic.

Need for transformative change

Co-funded by the Animal Welfare Foundation and the British Poultry Council, the findings showed that participants generally agreed with scientific evidence that slower-growing strains have better welfare than conventional fast-growing chickens housed under the same conditions.

However, some felt increased economic and environmental costs associated with slower growth created a barrier. There were also uncertainties around consumer willingness to pay for these welfare improvements.

Differing views about the feasibility of solutions were underpinned by different conceptions of sustainability. Retailer and industry representatives emphasised the importance of minimising carbon footprint to meet net zero targets.

They also felt a responsibility to provide ‘cheaper’ chicken to meet consumer demand and avoid consumers switching to poorer welfare imports costing considerably less. Because of these factors, they considered the use of slower-growing broilers economically and environmentally unviable.

These participants preferred to see a focus on improving the welfare of conventional broiler strains or using more efficient intermediate-growth strains as a compromise between welfare and sustainability.

In contrast, representatives of welfare charities, scientists and assurance schemes discussed sustainability more holistically. This included exploring environmental factors such as water pollution and biodiversity as well as social and economic factors.

They perceived animal welfare as integral to sustainable production, and thus it should not be compromised to meet environmental targets.

Additionally, they did not believe consumer purchases reflected true preferences due to consumer confusion about production practices and labelling.

These participants emphasised the need for transformative change within the food system, encompassing ways to reduce economic and environmental costs associated with slower-growing broilers; improved clarity in labelling and marketing to better align consumer purchasing with preferences; and a ‘less but better’ approach to consumption of chicken.

Urgent need for better understanding of consumer expectations

Dr Siobhan Abeyesinghe, associate professor in animal behaviour and welfare science at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “These results show that we urgently need a better understanding of UK consumer expectations about broiler welfare and welfare labelling and how they prioritise welfare in relation to environmental costs and price.

“This is a major missing piece of the puzzle that stakeholders currently face for realistically evaluating both the importance and feasibility of different improvements to the welfare of over a billion chickens each year.

“If welfare improvements are to be market driven, then welfare gains must be significant for the additional costs involved, valued by consumers and balanced against other sustainability goals.”

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