Chicken welfare ranked in 2021 Pecking Order Report
News
Fast food companies are some of the biggest buyers of factory farmed chicken. We've just launched our third global assessment and the 2021 results are shocking. Many brands show no desire to improve standards, subjecting chickens to unnecessary suffering and cruelty.
Globally, nearly 50 billion chickens are factory farmed for their meat. These lively and curious animals are grown intensively in barren, dark, and overcrowded sheds or cages. Fast food companies are some of the biggest buyers of factory farmed chicken. Yet despite these farms mistreating animals, using up precious resources and even risking our health, too many brands keep buying from them.
Together we can tell them there is no future for factory farming.
How the scores add up
The brands get points for what is in their policies, how quickly they plan to improve and how they are reporting on progress. Every brand is given a grade from failing up to very good.
The pecking order 2021 – Australian leader board
Find out who the winners and losers are in this year’s report and how each brand scored.
Getting started (38%)
‘Getting Started’ shows that McDonald’s Australia has taken some early steps to address chicken welfare. The Australian company is covered by the global policy and guidelines with commitments to improve welfare by 2024. While this is a promising start, they need to go further and introduce commitments to use slower growing breeds with better welfare outcomes. Tell McDonald’s all their chicken needs to come from higher welfare farms.
Getting started (34%)
Nando’s Australia has a dedicated website section where it highlights that all suppliers of chicken are certified to the RSPCA approved farming standards. While this is a promising start, they need to go further and introduce slower growing breeds and give their chickens more room to move. Tell Nando's they need to go further and give their chickens lives worth living.
Very Poor (10%)
While Hungry Jacks Australia is covered by the global Burger King animal welfare policy, this policy fails to make any commitments for chicken welfare in Australia. We encourage Hungry Jacks Australia to introduce commitments in line with the Better Chicken Commitment. This includes using slower growing breeds and giving their chickens more room to move freely.
Very Poor (6%)
Unlike their counterparts in the UK and parts of Europe, KFC Australia has refused to make commitments to improve chicken welfare in line with the Better Chicken Commitment. Tell KFC to introduce consistent animal welfare policies in all countries including Australia. Australian chickens deserve lives worth living!
Very Poor (6%)
Pizza Hut is covered by the YUM! Brands global animal welfare policy that explicitly covers chicken welfare, however, this policy is not aligned to the Better Chicken Commitment. The company does not provide any additional commitments to improve welfare in Australia. Tell Pizza Hut to make a global commitment to stop buying from factory farms.
Very Poor (6%)
Starbucks Australia is covered by the company’s global animal welfare policy, however, this policy does not make relevant commitments on chicken welfare. The country website states that ‘100% RSPCA Approved chicken is used in its sandwich products, however, it does not disclose specifics on the welfare standards this requires. We encourage Starbucks to introduce commitments in line with the Better Chicken Commitment including a commitment to the use of slower growing breeds. We would also encourage them to improve their animal welfare information to outline what standards RSPCA certification provides.
Very poor (0%)
The company mentions in its corporate social responsibility report that it avoids using animals that have not been treated humanely. However, the company does not mention a clear set of standards. We encourage Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Australia to align to the Better Chicken Commitment standards around the use of slower growing breeds and providing their chickens with more room to move.
Very Poor (0%)
Subway Australia is covered by their corporation's global animal welfare policy that explicitly covers chicken welfare, however, this policy is not aligned to the Better Chicken Commitment. The company does not provide any additional commitments to improve welfare in Australia. We encourage Subway Australia to introduce commitments in line with the Better Chicken Commitment, particularly around the use of slower growing chicken breeds with higher welfare outcomes.
Fast food companies must commit to better welfare standards
The 2021 results show that some of the biggest and most iconic food companies are starting to take chicken welfare seriously in parts of the world but are not applying their policies globally. This means companies in Australia are often lagging behind on chicken welfare. This must change. Australian chickens deserve better and so do you. Global food business principles and the lives of the animals on which their companies depend should be valued consistently, wherever you are in the world.
To stop the inexcusable suffering of billions of chickens a year, these brands must commit to:
- higher-welfare farming methods using chicken breeds that grow at slower, healthier rates
- allow chickens to enjoy meaningful environments with more space, natural light, and enrichment to provide stimulation.
Together we can tell them there is no future for factory farming.