Today's most viewed
| Liz Wright editor of Smallholder, can be contacted by email on liz.wright1@btconnect.com | | A new forum for small food producers has been added to this site. Click here to take part. |
|
|
|
Hidden cost of cheap chicken - Janice Houghton-Wallace looks at the free-range campaign by celebrity chefs
 |
| Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in his intensive broilet unit. Picture: Channel 4 |
IN the week that the Government finally decided that battery cages for laying hens should be outlawed by 2012, celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall fronted a series of hard-hitting programmes about the unacceptable conditions in intensive chicken broiler units, campaigning to improve the living conditions of meat birds as well.
In his "Chicken Out" campaign, Hugh wants to replace the cheap chickens sold by supermarkets at less than a price of a pint of beer for ethically-reared free-range chicken but he is also trying to persuade consumers to reject the cheap "2 chickens for £5" and vote with their pocket for the more environmentally-friendly reared free-range birds.
To highlight the different ways in which broiler poultry are reared an "experiment" was carried out by buying 4,000 day-old commercial chicks and rearing half in an intensive unit and the other half in an environmentally-enriched free-range unit, with access to fresh air, grass and sunshine.
Although an experienced poultry stockman was helping to look after both units, no-one could fail to be astounded at the difference in the birds' welfare and behaviour between the two systems. It was also noticeable that a hardened chef, used to killing and gutting many different species during his work, found the culling of lame and underperforming birds found on the daily inspection of the intensive unit extremely difficult to handle.
The broilers are bred to put on weight rapidly and each passing day showed a noticeable increased growth rate. This is assisted by having artificial lighting for around 23 hours a day, with little to do but eat, drink and defecate. There is dimmed lighting in the shed because too much light would bring about bullying and even death with so many birds in such a confined space. After 39 days the birds are slaughtered and sold on supermarket shelves very cheaply, as Standard chicken.
The free-range birds on the experiment obviously enjoy a fulfilled life but were more at risk of disease and take 56 days to reach their slaughter target. The extra seventeen days to keep these birds, therefore, incurs extra cost, however, this is offset by the birds having a better quality of life during their short lifespan and producing more flavoursome meat.
Hugh is not alone in his mission. Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are also backing the campaign to buy free-range poultry. Whether it is a success or not does not lie totally with the supermarkets. If consumers care sufficiently about how the birds are reared and are willing to buy free-range birds then the demand for the standard chicken would drop, supermarkets then commission less number and in order to survive producers would have little option than to adapt to free-range.
Producers are defending the industry. NFU poultry board chairman Charles Bourns says, "Low prices are a problem for poultry farmers now but they are not a problem for the chickens. Their welfare is safeguarded by legal requirements, industry standards and the stockmanship of poultry producers which will be the same regardless of the price of eggs or chicken. The irony of this situation is that there is a very real danger that, in their well-intentioned attempts to encourage consumers to trade up to higher welfare chickens, the celebrity chefs will end up compounding the economic problems of the industry. If fewer British chickens are produced, this will suck in imports from competitor countries where welfare standards are lower. The net effect would therefore be to damage chicken welfare overall."
Farm animal welfare organisations though are backing the chefs' efforts. Both Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and the RSPCA are not only supporting the Chicken Out campaign but also exposing the poor conditions of intensively reared broiler birds themselves. A recent investigation by CIWF found that this type of production has inherent animal welfare issues. Because of the specialist breeding to produce maximum meat yield the birds are more prone to lameness, sudden death syndrome and respiratory disorders than free-range poultry.
According to a new survey commissioned by the RSPCA-monitored Freedom Food, 91 per cent of Britons admit they know little or nothing about chicken farming. The survey also revealed that 85 per cent of people don't realise that most indoor-reared chickens we eat are actually allocated less space than an A4 piece of paper per bird, a point graphically made in Hugh's programmes.
Next month "Smallholder" investigates the affect that the Chicken Out campaign has had on the consumer, retailer and producer. Will it have convinced the different sectors that the 850 million chickens reared in the UK each year for food should have a better quality of life? Will the momentum for free-range now snowball or will chicken welfare still come second to what consumers have in their pocket, possibly encouraging cheaper imports? Let us know your thoughts.
11:19am Tuesday 12th February 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Phil Berry, Derbyshire on 8:20pm Sat 16 Feb 08
If it takes celebrity chefs to show the nation the reality of where our food comes from and that quality is better than quantity then well done to them. It is about time that the government took notice. Surely we can ban imports of food produced to lesser standards as we do with toys!
If it takes celebrity chefs to show the nation the reality of where our food comes from and that quality is better than quantity then well done to them. It is about time that the government took notice. Surely we can ban imports of food produced to lesser standards as we do with toys!
Posted by: Sandra Stewart, South Lanarkshire on 3:01pm Tue 19 Feb 08
I have been telling friends and family for years about the terrible conditions that these poor animals are being kept in but it took these 2 celebrities to finally bring it home to them and they have actually changed their buying habits. Well done guys
I have been telling friends and family for years about the terrible conditions that these poor animals are being kept in but it took these 2 celebrities to finally bring it home to them and they have actually changed their buying habits. Well done guys
Posted by: R kent, sussex on 7:24pm Thu 20 Mar 08
Why does it take 4 years to stop the terrible conditions these chicken are keeped in ,since seeing the program i myself have stoped buying chickens and only now buy completly free range eggs. have also now got chickens of my own which have a loverly home, roll on when they start to lay.
Why does it take 4 years to stop the terrible conditions these chicken are keeped in ,since seeing the program i myself have stoped buying chickens and only now buy completly free range eggs. have also now got chickens of my own which have a loverly home, roll on when they start to lay.
Posted by: Isobel, Cambridgeshire on 10:28pm Sun 11 May 08
Perhaps we should insist that the amount of living space "enjoyed" by each bird should be stated in large print on every non-free-range chicken label. Surely people would reject the chicken that said "40cm x 40cm" on it!
Perhaps we should insist that the amount of living space "enjoyed" by each bird should be stated in large print on every non-free-range chicken label. Surely people would reject the chicken that said "40cm x 40cm" on it!
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
