Farmed Chicken Welfare and the Better Chicken Commitment

The Better Chicken Commitment represents the most ambitious and widely adopted corporate welfare standard for broiler chickens, with signatories covering hundreds of millions of birds.

Key Facts

Over 200 food companies have signed the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) in Europe or North America since 2016
BCC requirements include maximum 30 kg/m2 stocking density, slower-growing breeds (minimum 56-day production or equivalent breeds), controlled atmosphere stunning, and welfare outcome monitoring
Current commercial broilers reach market weight in 35-42 days; BCC breeds require 56+ days, fundamentally changing growth parameters
Slower-growing breeds show dramatically lower rates of breast myopathy, lameness, and cardiovascular disease than conventional fast-growing breeds
Keel bone fracture remains a welfare challenge even in slower-growing breeds; floor perch provision is one mitigation approach
BCC compliance deadlines have been extended multiple times due to slower-than-expected industry transition and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions
Independent auditing of BCC compliance is required; non-compliance has been documented in some signatory companies
The animal welfare benefit of BCC implementation, when fully achieved, would affect hundreds of millions of chickens annually

Welfare Considerations

The Better Chicken Commitment represents a genuine watershed in farm animal welfare advocacy: a set of evidence-based welfare standards, developed through welfare science, adopted by major food companies, covering a large proportion of a major farmed species. When fully implemented, BCC requirements would eliminate some of the most serious welfare problems in broiler production — extreme lameness, cardiovascular disease, and breast myopathy from fast-growth genetics — while improving housing conditions through reduced stocking density and enrichment provision. The implementation challenges — breed transition timelines, supply chain costs, compliance monitoring — are real but surmountable. The gap between signed commitments and actual implementation is a welfare advocacy priority: holding signatories to their commitments is as important as securing the commitments in the first place.

What You Can Do

Check whether your preferred chicken brands have signed the Better Chicken Commitment and are reporting on implementation progress
Support advocacy organizations that hold BCC signatories accountable to their commitments through transparency monitoring
Choose BCC-compliant certified products when available as a market signal reinforcing corporate commitments
Advocate for BCC equivalent standards to become regulatory minimum standards, making welfare improvements universal rather than voluntary