A motion has been tabled for the Co-op Group’s forthcoming AGM challenging its use of fast-growing chickens.
The Group has faced controversy over the ‘frankenchicken’ breed, including animal welfare protests at last year’s AGM (pictured). In 2023, members voted in favour of a motion asking the retailer to improve the welfare standards for chickens and requested the board to consider adopting the Better Chicken Commitment in full.
Campaign group Humane League UK, which has been leading the protests, says the birds often struggle to walk, and can live in pain with inflamed joints, deformed bones and burns on their bodies. But the Group says dropping the breed would cost more, put demand on farmers, and have a higher sustainability impact, and it does not currently favour switching to slower-growing chickens. It responded to the motion by giving chickens 20% extra space, part-honouring the Better Chicken Commitment.
Continuing the campaign, naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham wrote to Group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq, urging her to let the motion – proposed by Group memnber Hannah Dickson – be heard and announcing his attendance at the AGM.
“Yes, adopting slower-growing chickens will cost money,” wrote Packham. “But principles aren’t principles if they don’t cost you anything. Right now millions of birds are hurting, flapping around, confused, unable to get away from the suffering which is hardcoded into their DNA. You can change these animals’ lives, if only you have the courage to. What an amazing legacy that would be.”
Related: Chicken farming row tests the Co-op Group’s ethical mettle
Claire Williams, campaigns manager at the Humane League, said: “It’s good to see that the Co-op have accepted the motion to stop using Frankenchickens, allowing the membership to once again have a say. However, we hope this time will be different. Thousands of Co-op members have spoken up against animal cruelty and we expect them to do so again. It is time for the Co-op to take a stance against the very forms of factory farming and give their chickens better lives, in the name of democracy and decency.”
Humane League added: “Frankenchickens suffer from higher rates of lameness, organ failure, muscle diseases, bone and cartilage deformities, burns from lying in their waste and premature death than slower growing breeds. Over 1.5 million every week on UK farms before reaching the slaughterhouse.”
Currently, two UK supermarkets – Waitrose and M&S – have dropped the breed.
A spokesperson for the Co-op Group, contacted by Co-op News, said it would not comment on motions until they are officially released to members next week.
