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Around 855 million chickens are reared for their meat in the UK each year.
The majority of these chickens are reared to standards the RSPCA believes are unacceptably low.
Our chicken challenge
Back in January 2008, we challenged all British supermarkets to be the first to only stock higher welfare chicken by 2010.
Nearly three out of four people feel supermarkets should only sell higher welfare chicken such as Freedom Food, free-range or organic.
In conjunction with Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), we are in the process of calling an industry-wide meeting, to include supermarkets, the government and the chicken industry, to discuss ways of increasing the proportion of chickens reared to higher welfare standards.
Hugh champions Freedom Food
The great chicken debate continues this year as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall embarks on his new mission to convince consumers to trade up to Freedom Food labelled chicken in his programme, Chickens, Hugh and Tesco Too - part of Channel 4's Great British Food Fight season.
Freedom Food is the RSPCA's higher welfare farm assurance and food labelling scheme that approves well-managed free-range, organic and indoor farms, providing they meet the strict RSPCA welfare standards.
As people tighten their purse strings, Hugh aims to promote Freedom Food as a welfare-friendly, but affordable option.
The RSPCA was heavily involved in the production of both Hugh's Chicken Run and Jamie's Fowl Dinners, which catapulted chicken welfare into the media spotlight last year during Channel 4's Big Food Fight season.
Chickens, Hugh and Tesco Too aired on Channel 4 on Monday, 26 January 2009, but you can find out more about Hugh's views on chicken welfare at: www.chickenout.tv
Consumers now demanding higher welfare chicken
Nearly all major supermarkets confirmed to the RSPCA that last year's separate campaigns led by the RSPCA, Hugh and Jamie Oliver have changed shopping habits, in spite of the difficult economic climate.
And in a poll commissioned by the RSPCA, 73 per cent of consumers said that since discovering standard chickens were farmed in poor conditions, they now buy chickens that have had a better life.
Good Chicken Guide - find out which supermarkets have seen increased sales of higher welfare chicken, and which chicken the RSPCA recommends in our handy guide.
Join the great chicken debate
Add your voice to our campaign network blog
We'd like to know what you think about improving chicken welfare - is the RSPCA right in demanding that supermarkets only sell higher welfare chicken?
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| photo © Andrew Forsyth / RSPCA Photolibrary |
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Good Chicken Guide
Find out which supermarkets have seen increased sales of higher welfare chicken, and which chicken the RSPCA recommends in our handy guide.
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Freedom Food chicken shed
Take a look inside an animated chicken shed to see how the RSPCA welfare standards can benefit millions of chicken reared on Freedom Food farms.
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