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The UK’s schools, hospitals, prisons, and military are all still buying “frankenchickens” using public money, even though ministers are supportive of a voluntary phase-out.
Ministers have said that the government continues to support voluntary measures to phase out frankenchickens, but is not considering an outright ban, echoing last year’s updated and far-reaching Animal Welfare Strategy from DEFRA.
Read more: Danish Government Pursues Ban On ‘Turbo Chickens’
Over 90 percent of the UK chickens are fast-growing breeds, and roughly 87 percent of adults believe supermarkets should no longer sell meat from frankenchickens.
On Monday, November 10, more than 120 constituents from across the UK gathered at the Houses of Parliament to demand that the public sector stop buying fast-growing chicken breeds, and to meet with at least 40 MPs to discuss the issue.
The constituents asked MPs to write to DEFRA ministers Dame Angela Eagle and Stephen Morgan, and called on the government to: Ensure all chicken purchased with public money adheres to the Better Chicken Commitment; publish a “real plan” to move away from fast-growing breeds; and bring in mandatory product labeling.
‘If the government wants to move away from these breeds, why is it still paying for them?’
UK Voters for Animals organised the mass lobby day with support from Anima, Animal Equality UK, The Humane League UK, and Project Slingshot.
A gigantic frankenchicken sculpture – the same one used by Anima throughout its campaign against Pret – was also brought to the Houses of Parliament for the mass lobbying day. The ‘monstrous but honest’ sculpture is roughly the size of a car.
Billy Nicholles, lead organizer at UK Voters for Animals, said, “Ministers say they want to move away from Frankenchickens, yet public money is still buying them for our schools, hospitals and prisons. If the government wants to move away from these breeds, why is it still paying for them?”
Read more: UK Government Announces Planned End Of CO2 Stunning For Pigs
Phasing out Europe’s ‘turbo chickens’
The Danish government recently called for an EU-wide ban on “turbo chickens,” the European equivalent of frankenchickens. In October, a documentary alleged that Christian Tvergaard, one of Denmark’s biggest chicken producers, promotes growth by giving his chickens just three of the six legally mandated hours of sunlight per day.
In February, Norway announced plans to completely phase out frankenchickens by 2027 in favor of “high welfare” birds with fewer chronic health issues.
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