Published 02/06/2020

Our Food Business team has worked closely with Red Tractor to encourage them to launch an exciting new ‘Enhanced Welfare’ module and marque for indoor chicken which meets the requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).

A helping hand

Over 50 companies in the UK have already signed up to the BCC – which outlines a set of specific requirements for broiler (meat chicken) producers to follow, including providing the birds with more space to live and using slower growing, healthier breeds.

Red Tractor’s new module not only enables companies to differentiate their higher welfare chicken from standard production, but the associated ‘Enhanced Welfare’ label allows consumers to better understand how the chickens were raised.

Raising the bar

The Enhanced Welfare for Chicken module includes the following requirements:

• A slower growing chicken breed
• Natural light and enrichment to encourage natural behaviours like pecking, scratching, wing flapping and use of perches
• More space, with a reduction in the number of birds that are allowed in the barns

Since over 90% of chickens in the UK are reared indoors, this new module has the potential to raise the bar for millions of chickens in future.

Informed choices

“We are delighted with the introduction of the Red Tractor Enhanced Welfare module and marque for indoor chicken which meets the requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment,” says Tracey Jones, our Director of Food Business.

“It is an important enabler for companies who want to source to this standard and promote their higher welfare credentials to customers. The marque, along with the free range and organic labels, will help consumers understand how their chicken was produced and enable them to make informed choices.”

Find out more about the Better Chicken Commitment here.