Poultry Welfare Research Funding

Investment in poultry welfare science lags far behind the scale of the industry. Increasing research funding is essential to develop evidence-based welfare standards for billions of farmed birds.

Key Facts

Over 70 billion chickens are slaughtered globally each year, yet welfare research funding is minimal
The UK spends less than 1% of agricultural research budgets on poultry welfare specifically
Most commercial poultry breeds have been selected for production traits at the expense of welfare
Slow-growing broiler breeds have measurably better welfare outcomes but higher production costs
Research into enrichment for caged laying hens remains underfunded relative to need
The BBSRC and USDA fund only dozens of poultry welfare projects annually globally

Welfare Considerations

The mismatch between the number of chickens farmed and the resources dedicated to understanding their welfare is stark. Basic questions about poultry sentience, pain experience, and behavioural needs remain incompletely answered. Increased public and private research investment would accelerate development of welfare-positive production systems and provide the evidence base needed to underpin meaningful regulatory reform.

What You Can Do

Support animal welfare organisations that fund independent poultry research
Write to agricultural research funders urging increased poultry welfare investment
Choose higher-welfare certified chicken and eggs to create market incentives for change
Encourage universities to develop poultry welfare specialisations
Advocate for mandatory welfare research contributions from poultry producers