Chickens suffering claims RSPCA

Rapid weight gain can lead to heart defects and leg deformities

An advertising campaign to highlight the suffering endured by millions of chickens reared for eating in the UK is being launched by the RSPCA.

The animal welfare charity seeks to focus attention on production methods used in large-scale poultry rearing.

Cinema and print adverts will tell shoppers about the bad effects of rapid weight gain and lack of space on 850m broiler chickens reared each year.

The RSPCA said it was "an outrage" that laws did not govern chickens' welfare.

It hopes growing consumer demand for products like free range and organic chicken will push the industry to improve its practice.

No law dictates fundamental welfare concerns like how much space must be given to the birds Caroline Le Sueur RSPCA senior scientific officer

The charity is concerned that broiler birds are being selectively bred to grow four times faster than egg-laying hens.

While this means the maximum amount of meat is produced in the shortest possible time, it can also cause heart defects, lameness and leg deformities, the RSPCA says.

Caroline Le Sueur, senior scientific officer at the RSPCA, said: "No law dictates fundamental welfare concerns like how much space must be given to the birds or what environment conditions are appropriate.

"This is an outrage, particularly when you consider the potential scale for suffering given that the bulk of farm animals slaughtered in the UK and within the EU every year are chickens."

PECKING ORDER Chickens make up 850m of the 900m plus farm animals reared in the UK each year for food 70% of people surveyed for the RSPCA believe chicken is the healthiest meat Modern birds reach slaughter weight at six weeks instead of four months old Chickens need more space, light and a natural environment, the RSPCA says

Rapid weight gain means most broiler chickens reach their slaughter weight at less than six weeks old - compared to four months for their forerunners.

The RSPCA claims chickens can be kept under current standards with no more floor space than a sheet of A4 paper.

Many birds are kept in closely-packed, barren sheds, the charity says, which means they cannot perch or forage in the normal way.

Lighting is kept low to discourage activity, while at the same time proper darkness is limited to as little as four hours a day to encourage the birds to eat more and grow faster.

The RSPCA hopes its campaign will raise awareness of chicken welfare issues, leading to UK and European legislation on the conditions in which poultry can be kept.

It believes shoppers' concerns will be passed on by retailers to the producers, leading to more humane conditions for animals.