Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
RSPCA News from the press office
 
Tuesday 31 May 2005

New EU Legislation Confines Chickens To Worse Conditions Than Battery Hens

The RSPCA is concerned and alarmed that proposed EU legislation published today – the first in the history of farming to set standards for the welfare of all chickens bred for meat – misses an opportunity for real welfare improvements.

The proposed directive permits producers, subject to fulfilling some basic criteria, to allocate each chicken in their shed only 526 cm², less space than an A4 piece of paper (619 cm²). Even cruel battery cage systems provide more space for laying hens, which legally must have at least 550 cm².

Chicken is the most popular meat in the UK and every year more than 800 million birds are slaughtered for meat consumption in the UK alone. Millions of these birds are housed in sheds with little space to move around in, contributing to the achievement of maximum meat yield from each bird in the shortest time possible. The RSPCA believes the conditions in which the majority of chickens are reared is one of the most serious farm animal welfare issues in the UK.

Skin diseases are also a major welfare issue for chickens bred for meat and can be made worse when the birds are tightly packed together. This directive sets a benchmark stocking density of 30kg per square metre however, subject to fulling some basic criteria would make it legal for a producer to work to the higher stocking density of 38 kilograms per square metre even if all their birds have 'minor' foot pad lesions. Commonly referred to as 'foot burn', these lesions are caused by wet floor litter and high levels of ammonia from faeces in the floor litter. The lesions can cause pain which, together with a deteriorated state of health, constitutes a concerning welfare issue.

Dr Marc Cooper, RSPCA scientific officer, farm animals department commented: "The amount of space chickens are given to move around in is one of the most important factors affecting their quality of life and urgently needs to be addressed. This EU legislation will do little to improve the lives of chickens in its current form. Surprisingly, the recommendation on the space required for each bird ignores the advice of the EU's own scientific advisory committee which stated that '*above 30 kg/m², even with very good environmental control systems, there is a steep rise in the frequency of serious [welfare] problems,' such as leg disorders, which can cause pain and affect walking ability. All the more baffling then, that the EU Directive will allow stocking density up to 38 kg/m²."

The legislation contains proposals on the training of workers in the industry and minimum lighting levels, which will help to improve welfare in some areas of this huge pan-European industry. Producers will need to adhere to basic but important standards in order to stock chickens at this high density. These include providing ventilation, heating and cooling systems; criteria which the RSPCA considers to be fundamental requirements for all chickens, regardless of how much space they have.

A new MORI survey of 2,023 adults commissioned by the RSPCA shows that when choosing which chicken to buy, consumers firstly judge the meat primarily on how healthy they think it is for them (25 per cent). The second most important factor is the welfare of the chicken (20 per cent); above concerns about price, taste and country of origin.

Dr Marc Cooper continued: "Clearly consumers think the welfare of chickens is important and will no doubt be as disappointed as we are by this legislation. We hope consumers will vote with their shopping baskets and only buy chicken reared to higher welfare standards such as free-range, organic, or Freedom Food approved chicken."