Conventional broiler breeds grow so fast they frequently experience pain and organ failure. Slower-growth breeds represent a significant welfare improvement in poultry production.
Broiler welfare is fundamentally compromised by the selection for extreme growth rate. The welfare costs — chronic pain from leg disorders, cardiovascular failure, skin lesions from inability to stand properly — are not incidental to the production system but inherent to it. Switching to slower-growth breeds is the single most impactful intervention available to food companies. Welfare improvements from breed change are measurable in gait scoring, footpad dermatitis rates, and mortality — concrete metrics that demonstrate genuine, not cosmetic, welfare progress.