Chris Packham has criticised Co-op ahead of its Manchester AGM this Saturday, accusing the supermarket of failing to act on member-backed calls to improve chicken welfare.

The naturalist and broadcaster said the retailer’s search for a new chief executive following the departure of Shirine Khoury-Haq presented a clear opportunity to “change” its approach to fast-growing chicken breeds, which campaigners have branded “Frankenchickens”.

Co-op members organised motions in both 2023 and 2025 calling on the supermarket to stop using the ultra-fast-growing breeds, with around 90 per cent of voting members backing change.

Animal welfare campaigners led by The Humane League UK said the votes showed strong member support for Co-op to move away from breeds associated with serious health and welfare issues.

Packham said: “These birds are bred to grow so unnaturally fast they suffer from lame legs, organ failure… even burns from living in their own excrement.

“Co-op gave their birds more space, which we applaud. But they kept using Frankenchickens. And judging from a recent update, they plan on keeping it that way. That’s not high-welfare. That’s not ethical. And it’s not what Co-op members asked for.

“But now Co-op is looking for a new CEO, and has an amazing opportunity to change.”

The Humane League UK estimates that around 14.5m chickens in Co-op’s supply chain would benefit from a transition to slower-growing breeds.

The campaign group also claimed that around one billion fast-growing chickens are killed for meat in the UK each year, while illness is so widespread that half a million die prematurely every week.

However, Co-op has previously said it is “significantly ahead of most other retailers on chicken welfare”, pointing to measures including giving birds more space and introducing AI welfare-monitoring technology.

Claire Williams, campaigns manager at The Humane League UK, said monitoring welfare issues was not the same as preventing them.

“Monitoring suffering more efficiently is not the same as preventing it, and while giving chickens more space is a good thing, most other supermarkets have done this,” she said.

“As long as they are using overbred Frankenchickens, who have suffering hardcoded into their genes, Co-op’s boasts of being leaders are empty.

“They are not significantly ahead of most retailers, but they are woefully behind on their ethical values.”

Campaigners said that while almost all Co-op egg-laying hens and pigs are covered by higher welfare standards, only around 2 per cent of chickens raised for meat are not fast-growing breeds.

They also claimed that fast-growing chickens require nine times more antibiotics, contributing to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and posing a potential threat to human health.

The Humane League UK pointed to Waitrose’s implementation of the Better Chicken Commitment last year as evidence that retailers can move to higher-welfare chicken standards without passing extra costs on to shoppers.

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