January 8, 2008

UK poultry producers reiterate practice of animal welfare in farms

UK poultry operators ensure that animal welfare is the top priority in their farms since their livelihood depends on it, the British Poultry Council (BPC) said.

Peter Bradnock, chief executive of BPC reiterated this after UK media reportedly branded chickens reared for meat as "battery" farmed.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) launched a campaign in UK yesterday for retailers to stop selling cheaper chickens bred in poor conditions and to sell chicken that is free-range or organic or produced according to its own standards by 2010.

The society said that consumers should be prepared to pay more for their chicken to help promote higher welfare for poultry.

Bradnock, together with Charles Bourns, chairman of National Farmers' Union (NFU), pointed that low prices on supermarket shelves did not mean low welfare on farm.

BPC and NFU said that chickens reared in Britain are kept indoors or are free range, never kept in battery cages as claimed.

The British poultry is produced to high standards and are independently monitored by auditors from outside the industry. These scientific standards ensure sound welfare, environmental protection and safety, Bourns and Bradnock pointed.