Chickens reared for meat (broilers)

More meat chickens, also known as ‘broilers’, are farmed in the UK than any other type of farmed animal (with the exception of farmed fish). Around 830 million are slaughtered every year - on average that’s about 26 chickens slaughtered every second of every day!

Unfortunately, the majority of meat chickens are reared to standards that we believe are not good enough in terms of animal welfare. We have particular concerns about the use of fast growing breeds, the high numbers of birds kept in a given amount of floor space, low light levels and a lack of items and facilities in the environment that allow chickens to carry out their natural behaviours.

Fortunately, some meat chickens are reared to higher welfare standards, such as our own RSPCA welfare standards, which we believe provide chickens with a much better quality of life. We’re working hard to encourage as many farmers as possible to rear their chickens according to higher welfare standards, for retailers to stock these higher welfare products, and for consumers to support animal welfare buy choosing to buy them.