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Published 20/11/2009
Read the lobbying letter (PDF 97kb) from Compassion, Mike Hancock MP and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.
The Food Vision Paper for the 2012 Olympics could see Olympic athletes and the public served standard intensive chicken and pig meat if a current proposal by the organisers goes ahead.
At a time when more and more shoppers are choosing higher welfare chicken, over 270 MPs have called for improved standards and supermarkets are introducing policies to end the sale of factory farmed chicken, we could see the Olympics Food Vision lagging behind established good practice and allowing standard intensive chicken meat to be served to the public and athletes.
Next month, The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) will publish its 'Food Vision' for the 2012 Olympics. We are aware that the Committee are proposing setting Red Tractor as the mandatory standard, yet Red Tractor permits pigs and chickens to be farmed intensively.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said: "It is totally inconsistent and I think inconceivable that we could be watching sports people at their peak of fitness, yet being served chicken by the Olympic Games catering service that not only has an arguably lower nutritional value, but has been produced in a system that causes lameness in over a quarter of the birds. I believe that the 2012 Olympics has a role to play in showing leadership and responsibility in this issue".
This one decision could make a difference to the lives of millions of chickens. We need your help to persuade LOCOG to put animal welfare on the procurement agenda.
TAKE ACTION
Send your urgent email to the Chief Executive of LOCOG calling for them to set RSPCA Freedom Food as the minimum standard for chicken and pork.
We believe that farm animals should not and need not suffer
If you agree, please support us today. We receive no government funding so rely entirely on the generosity of our supporters to prevent cruelty to farm animals all over the world. Your donation could help end all forms of farm animal cruelty and help us stop factory farming in its tracks.
