Animal welfare charities have signed an open letter calling on Sustainable Chicken Forum signatories to ”reinstate your Better Chicken Commitments”.
The RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, and The Humane League UK expressed their “deep concern and disappointment” the with the eight companies, representing 18 major brands, that dropped the commitment in favour of joining the forum.
The initiative, launched by Hospitality UK in February, took issue with the BCC’s pledge to transition away from fast-growing breeds and argued it was better placed to balance supply chain resilience, welfare and sustainability.
Referencing ADAS data, Hospitality UK asserted a transition to slower-growing breeds would require more water, create greater emissions, and collapse European poultry production.
The claims were dismissed by the same animal welfare groups as “welfare washing”.
“Rather than abandoning your pledge, we urge you to stand firm and reinstate your Better Chicken Commitment, including the breed component, making use of the available timeline extensions,” the charities said. “Reversing course on the BCC risks undermining trust in your brands at a moment when public expectations around animal welfare, sustainability and corporate accountability have never been higher.
“We therefore call on you to show ethical leadership and help drive a transition to chicken production that is genuinely compatible with both animal welfare and long-term sustainability.”
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Urging the businesses to not take “a huge step backwards”, the charities said “true sustainability” required ethical, resilient and responsible food systems that integrated animal welfare with environmental goals.
They also said the companies risked being left behind, pointing to the government’s support of voluntary efforts to transition away from fast-growing broiler breeds, and the Norwegian poultry industry’s pledge to phase out fast-growing broiler strains, as evidence of the “direction of travel”.
“Changing breed also brings wider socioeconomic and environmental benefits that should be part of any credible sustainability assessment, such as lower mortality, fewer carcase downgrades (reducing food and feed waste) and reduced antibiotic use – supporting both animal welfare and public health,” the organisations said.
The letter reiterated calls in a separate letter, launched by the RSPCA alone earlier this week, calling on the Sustainable Chicken Forum to adopt BCC standards.
To achieve this, the RSPCA said, the forum should publish welfare benchmarks and timelines and include independent animal welfare expertise within its governance.
“We all have to work together to build a food system that protects people, animals and the planet,” the RSPCA said. “We stand ready to work constructively with you to ensure that progress for the planet does not come at the expense of animal wellbeing.”
UKHospitality declined to comment.
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