Chickens are the most numerous farmed land animal globally — over 70 billion raised each year — making chicken welfare reform one of the highest-impact areas of animal welfare advocacy available.
Chickens are at the centre of animal welfare advocacy because the scale of suffering, the severity of welfare conditions in intensive production, and the tractability of improvement converge. Seventy billion broiler chickens per year — each with a nervous system capable of pain and fear — experiencing lameness, frustration, and the acute stress of intensive conditions represent the largest single source of farmed animal suffering on the planet by number. The BCC movement has demonstrated that corporate commitments translate to real supply chain changes, and that consumer campaigns drive commitments. The global welfare gap between leading and lagging markets represents both the scale of remaining work and the proven model for achieving it.