Driving real and tangible change in meat chicken welfare

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Driving real and tangible change in meat chicken welfare

RSPCA Australia
Friday, 15 November 2024

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A crucial part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme is the animal-specific Standards that underpin it – each with hundreds of animal welfare-focused requirements against which RSPCA Approved Producers are regularly assessed and certified.

But the Standards aren’t just ‘set and forget’. They’re regularly reviewed, taking into account the latest animal welfare science, new technologies, and what’s challenging yet possible to achieve in the Australian farming context. To ensure that the welfare of animals farmed by RSPCA Approved Producers is continuously improved, a comprehensive review of a Standard is conducted roughly every five years.

That’s what’s happening now with the meat chicken Standard. Here we delve into where the Standard has come from and – crucially – why we now have such a good opportunity to improve the welfare of chickens farmed for meat.

Why RSPCA Approved?

Humans benefit from animals in many ways, including as a source of food and fibre, companionship and for recreation. The RSPCA has a key role in improving how all animals, great and small, are treated from birth through to death. And given that most Australians include meat and animal-derived products in their diet, the RSPCA sees this as a key area to influence that improvement.

One way in which we aim to improve the quality of life of farmed animals is through the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme where we work closely with farmers to help make a positive impact on the lives of Australia’s most intensively farmed animals – including meat chickens.

This often raises questions for people. Why would an animal welfare organisation be working with animals that are intensively farmed?

The answer lies simply in the fact that these animals are so intensively farmed and the scale of potential animal welfare issues resulting from this. Many – but not all – animal welfare issues on farm can be addressed by improving practices, which means there is a big opportunity to change things through a certification program like RSPCA Approved.

(If you want to know more about why we have the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme you might find this blog interesting.)

Why chicken?

Chicken meat production is an example of farming on a large commercial scale. The demand for chicken meat in Australia is staggering with around 50kg consumed per person per year, and around 700 million chickens slaughtered each year to satisfy this demand. And this is part of a bigger global trend, with an 800 per cent increase in chicken meat production over the last 50 years.

With intensive farm animal production comes the risk of animal welfare issues. For meat chickens, this may include issues relating to their fast growth, low space allowance, poor housing conditions, and pain, injury or distress during euthanasia, catching, transport, and slaughter.

Where the meat chicken Standard fits in

Firstly, it’s very important to know that the meat chicken Standard doesn’t fix all these issues. It is just one part of the puzzle, and sits alongside all our other work to improve farm animal welfare (like advocacy, and working directly with government and industry).

Over the past decade, through targeting specific areas such as space allowance, lighting, perching, litter provision and management practices, our Standard has paved the way for a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of meat chickens in Australia.

Our first meat chicken Standard was released in 2010 and has had a full-scale review twice (2013 and 2019), as well as some smaller updates in 2020. We know that, before the RSPCA Approved Standard was introduced, meat chicken sheds generally had poor litter quality, low light levels, higher stocking densities, and lacked perching and enrichment. The improvements we’ve been able to make (for millions of chickens) are substantial.

2024 11 Meat chicken standard review infographic V2 V1

We should reflect on how significant this is.

Because of the RSPCA Approved Standard, in Australia chickens farmed for meat have more space to roam and move freely; they have dry friable litter to allow for the birds’ behavioural needs to dustbathe, scratch, and forage while minimising leg and foot issues related to poor quality litter; they have better lighting to encourage activity as well as periods of continuous darkness to rest properly; and, they have enrichment and perches to further encourage activity and positive behaviours, and improve leg health.

Where we’re going now

But our work is not done. With the last full-scale review of the Standard in 2019, the meat chicken Standard is undergoing a scheduled review in 2024 and into 2025.

Like with other Standard reviews, this involves commissioning an external literature review, a draft Standard being written by RSPCA Australia’s expert science and policy team, internal reviews, consultation with an expert Technical Advisory Group, diverse and targeted consultation on the draft Standard, and approval by RSPCA Australia’s Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee and the RSPCA Australia Board. You can read more about the standard review process here.

But while the process is consistent, it’s worth reflecting on the unique opportunities we have with chickens farmed for meat.

Far more so than with any other Standard in the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, the chicken meat industry adopted our Standard to provide chickens with conditions that far exceed Australian regulatory requirements and result in higher welfare for certified birds. The vast majority of the chicken meat industry is now farming to the RSPCA Approved Standard, with regular assessments of farms and abattoirs as part of our certification.

The substantial market share, and the trust built with meat chicken producers, gives us a valuable opportunity to further improve the welfare of chickens as part of this review. This may be challenging for some in the industry. But it’s what the community expects, with 3 in 5 consumers looking for the RSPCA Approved logo and 95% of Australians being concerned about farm animal welfare.

For years, we’ve been clear with the chicken meat industry the areas where they must focus to improve animal welfare. For example, in 2020, where we outlined key challenges that the industry needs to address like genetics, stocking density, handling, on-farm euthanasia, depopulation, transport, stunning and slaughter, as well as welfare issues with chicks at the hatchery and with breeder birds.

An opportunity to raise the bar

Every Standard review is a chance to raise the bar for animal welfare – this is what the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme is all about.

And we know the community is – very rightly – concerned about the welfare of chickens raised for meat.

That’s also why it’s good to see initiatives like the Better Chicken Commitment gain prominence in Australia that also aim to raise awareness and seek commitment from food companies and their suppliers to improve the welfare of chickens raised for meat. We note that several other Australian animal welfare organisations have thrown their support behind the Better Chicken Commitment, which is welcome – because the more avenues that exist to raise awareness of the significant welfare issues faced by meat chickens, the better.

And raising awareness for Australian consumers is important. That’s because generating a market and willingness to purchase higher-welfare products, sourced from higher welfare farming systems, is a key component of a successful transition to higher welfare outcomes.

Improving animal welfare isn’t always straightforward – particularly when it comes to intensively farmed animals like chickens – and even after the revised Standard is released, there’ll still be unresolved issues which we will aim to tackle at the next review and in our other advocacy work. But we know that the Standard review process is a crucial time to make improvements and to be clear with the industry what we – and the Australian community – want to see changed.

Driving real and tangible change for animal welfare is what the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme is all about – to work towards our vision of a future of higher welfare farming and our mission of improving the quality of life of farmed animals.

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Driving real and tangible change in meat chicken welfare

Why RSPCA Approved?

Why chicken?

Where the meat chicken Standard fits in

Where we’re going now

An opportunity to raise the bar

Stay informed on big issues and how you can help improve animal welfare across Australia.