Animal welfare charity The Humane League is taking the UK government to the High Court this week to end the breeding of fast-growing “Frankenchickens”.
Up to 90% of chickens sold in the UK are reared through intensive selective breeding to produce as much meat as possible and so that poultry can be sold in supermarkets quicker.
The Humane League argues Frankenchicken breeding breaches the Welfare of Farmed Animals regulations 2007 which states: “Animals may only be kept for farming purposes if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of their genotype or phenotype, that they can be kept without any detrimental effect on their health or welfare.”
As the Frankenchickens have been genetically selected to grow rapidly and produce as meat as possible, they suffer from a wide range of health issues.
Day one of our landmark court case for chickens 🐔 @imLucyWatson, @MeganMcCubbin, @BZephaniah and @ChrisGPackham joined supporters outside the court this morning to share the simple message that we must end the cruel use of Frankenchickens. Let’s get #JusticeForChickens pic.twitter.com/5wriUfLVIO
— The Humane League UK (@humaneleagueuk) May 3, 2023
The Humane League recently called for Co-op to adopt to its Better Chicken Commitment so that their chickens have more space to roam and fewer health problems.
The RSPCA will also be giving an oral testimony at the High Court despite Government trying to block the charity from doing so. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) attempted to block 400 pages of evidence on issues caused by fast growth of chickens.
Featured image credits: @humaneleagueuk on Twitter
