The Better Chicken Commitment is driving industry-wide shift to slower-growing broiler genetics — welfare science confirms dramatic improvements in mobility and health outcomes.
The Better Chicken Commitment represents the most significant structural welfare reform in commercial poultry production in decades. By requiring slower-growing genetics as a baseline, BCC addresses the root cause of broiler welfare problems rather than managing symptoms of pathological growth rates. The welfare science is unambiguous: slower-growing breeds can walk, forage, and express normal behaviors that conventional breeds cannot at commercial slaughter weight. The business case for BCC fulfillment has strengthened as more companies commit, creating supplier demand that makes welfare-positive production economically viable. The remaining challenge is implementation — many companies have signed commitments with 2026-2028 fulfillment targets, and monitoring adherence requires supply chain transparency that the industry is building.