NGO calls on EU to ban fast-growing chicken breeds

5 months ago 17

Fast-growing broilers must be banned in the European Union for animal welfare reasons, the NGO Eurogroup for Animals said, while representatives of European poultry producers countered that this would necessarily lead to higher prices for consumers and environmental problems.

“We call on political decision-makers to phase out these breeds and, instead, give priority to slower-growing breeds in European legislation”, Eurogroup for animals explained in a white paper first published on 3 May and re-launched on 29.

Fast-growing broilers are hybrid chicken breeds that can gain size and weight rapidly. NGOs and scientists have long criticised these practices for causing health problems to the animals like walking difficulties, aggressiveness, and higher mortality.

“A huge body of science shows that the most important factor in a broiler’s welfare is its breed and that slow-growing strains show higher welfare scores than their fast-growing counterparts,” the NGO pointed out.

New legislation

The 2007 European directive governing breeding practices does not prohibit fast-growing breeds. For the Eurogroup for Animals, however, in the next mandate, EU institutions should regulate it as part of the major overhaul of animal welfare legislation, initially planned for this term of office and then postponed.

The association recommends building on the European Chicken Commitment (ECC), a set of recommendations to improve poultry welfare, including an end to the rapid growth of young birds. More than 550 companies worldwide have committed to implementing these changes by 2026.

To phase out these practices, the NGO proposes that the EU define a list of authorised slow-growing breeds. At the very least, it seeks the imposition of a limit in growth of 50 grams per day, as recommended by the European Food Safety Authority.

The association is also inspired by the organic livestock farming specification, which imposes a minimum rearing period of slow-growing breeds in EU legislation.

Industry warns on the economic and climate impact

For AVEC, the European poultry producers’ union, these measures do not take into account aspects other than just animal welfare, like the economy and the environment.

According to a recent impact study commissioned by AVEC, the implementation of the European Chicken Commitment, would result in additional production costs of 37.5% per kilogram of meat.

In environmental terms, this would increase water consumption by 35.4% and greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of meat produced by 24.4%)

Overall, the study reports, these changes in practice would lead to a drop in production, necessitating the construction of 9,692 new poultry barns in the European Union, at an estimated cost of €8.24 billion, “in order to maintain current production levels”.

Finally, higher prices could “exclude a large proportion of consumers” from buying chicken, and increase imports of meat from third countries.

With consumption set to increase over the next 10 years, AVEC believes that “consumers should have the choice to select higher welfare products if they wish, but it’s crucial that standard, affordable options remain available”, said AVEC’s President Gert-Jan Oplaat.

But for the Eurogroup for Animals, improvements in broilers’ welfare in certain EU member states are proof that the transition is possible and the NGO called on the EU to draw inspiration from them in its new animal welfare legislation.

This is the case of the Netherlands, which has been imposing a preference for slow-growth broilers since 2015. Likewise, Denmark has agreed to phase out public purchases of fast-growing chickens, with a view to taking action at the European level. Legislative measures are also in the pipeline in Sweden and Norway.