The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is urging the UK government not to compromise the welfare of millions of chickens reared for meat by reducing the amount of space they have to live in.
Despite strong support from consumers, retailers and farmers for better animal welfare, the lives of hundreds of millions of chickens reared for meat in England and Wales are still hanging in the balance.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is considering new EU legislation which includes providing meat chickens with less space than current industry practice in England. Currently chickens reared to basic industry standards in England are allocated less space than a sheet of A4 paper each and this could be reduced even further if the EU legislation is adopted².
We believe this is a retrograde step that would have significant impact on their welfare.
"At a time when more of us are concerned about how chickens are reared, we seem to be in a position where the EU is making conditions worse, not better," said Dr Marc Cooper, RSPCA senior farm animal scientist. "Implementing these new provisions could have a significant impact on mortality rates, skin and leg problems as well as making it harder for these birds to perform basic natural behaviours like walking or flapping their wings."
Despite strong support from consumers, retailers and farmers for better animal welfare, the lives of hundreds of millions of chickens reared for meat in England and Wales are still hanging in the balance.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is considering new EU legislation which includes providing meat chickens with less space than current industry practice in England. Currently chickens reared to basic industry standards in England are allocated less space than a sheet of A4 paper each and this could be reduced even further if the EU legislation is adopted².
We believe this is a retrograde step that would have significant impact on their welfare.
"At a time when more of us are concerned about how chickens are reared, we seem to be in a position where the EU is making conditions worse, not better," said Dr Marc Cooper, RSPCA senior farm animal scientist. "Implementing these new provisions could have a significant impact on mortality rates, skin and leg problems as well as making it harder for these birds to perform basic natural behaviours like walking or flapping their wings."
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