Framework for meat chickens

Entry level requirements

  • Meat chickens are sentient, feeling pain/suffering as well as joy/pleasure. Schemes should focus on reducing negative and increasing positive welfare towards a good life.

  • Standards comply with EU Laws & Regulations

  • Standards ensure lifetime assurance, covering the entire lifetime of that animal (rear, farm, transport and slaughter)

  • Standards are independently verified by a 3rd party once every calendar year. A robust, transparent certification process is in place with ongoing monitoring, feedback and improvement mechanism.

  • Where criteria aren’t currently practical, programmes promote continuous improvement in other ways (Research, lobby government, work with industry) to facilitate systemic change towards outcome.

Reducing negative experiences

Increasing positive experiences

Meat chicken good life opportunities

Comfort

  • Choice of physical environment

  • Choice of thermal environment

Pleasure

  • Choice of type of food and how it is obtained

  • Opportunities for play

  • Enhanced learning opportunities

Interest

  • Positively enriched environment

  • Opportunities to range

Confidence

  • Positive experiences with stock-keepers

  • Positive social interactions

A healthy life

  • Management policy for positive health

  • Breeding for positive welfare

  • Promoting telos

  • Opportunities to dustbathe

  • Opportunities to rest