400 Co-op members have signed a motion calling for the supermarket to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment.
The Better Chicken Commitment – which requires suppliers to adhere to a set of commitments including complying with EU animal welfare standards, not using cages and ensuring chickens get natural light – has been signed by big names such as Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, TGI Fridays, Compass Group and Kraft Heinz.
Co-op members from the animal charity Humane League UK put the motion forward, which members will be able to sign online until May 15 or in-person at the supermarket’s annual AGM which takes place on May 20.
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The campaign group has also brought forward a judicial review arguing that the UK’s policy of allowing the use of fast-growing Frankenchickens is illegal because their genetic make-up means that they suffer from illnesses at a much greater rate than stronger breeds.
The animal rights campaigners will be represented by law firm Advocates for Animals at the hearing, which is set to take place on May 3 and May 4.
These photos reveal the harrowing scenes that undercover investigators found when they visited a UK egg farm.
It’s @GOVUK‘s responsibility to end this suffering. #CluckOffRishi
📸 | @OpenCagesUK pic.twitter.com/eZgg8GjAGj
— The Humane League UK (@humaneleagueuk) April 15, 2023
“I am very proud that as a Co-op member I will have a say on the future treatment of chickens. What makes our Co-op unique is its democratic and progressive values,” said Humane League UK senior campaigner Aaron Parr.
“These have historically extended to animal welfare. But the fact that chickens raised for meat, our most farmed animal in the UK, have been left out of Co-op’s purview is a massive oversight. Co-op policy says that we have a ‘pioneering’ approach to animal welfare. But to maintain that badge of honour, our Co-op must improve farming practices and give all chickens better lives,” he continued.
