Poultry Catching and Transport Welfare

The catching and transport of poultry to slaughter represents one of the highest welfare risk points in the production chain, causing injuries and mortality at significant scale.

Key Facts

Manual catching of broiler chickens involves grabbing birds by their legs in darkened houses
Mechanical harvesting machines are increasingly used but can cause injuries if not well-managed
Transportation in crates without food or water can last many hours in the UK and EU
Thermal stress during transport causes mortality, particularly in summer months
The EU limits transport time for poultry to a maximum of 12 hours in most circumstances

Welfare Considerations

Catching involves rough handling that causes wing fractures, dislocations, and bruising. Birds experience fear and pain during catching and loading. Transport stress from crowding, temperature extremes, and vibration causes additional suffering. Many birds arrive at slaughter with pre-existing injuries. Reducing journey times, improving crate design, providing shade and ventilation, and moving to mechanical harvesting with better bird handling standards would meaningfully improve welfare.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for mandatory journey time limits and better transport standards for poultry
Choose chicken products from producers with higher welfare catching and transport standards
Advocate for mandatory CCTV in poultry transport vehicles and lairage areas
Support research into mechanical harvesting systems that minimise bird injury
Reduce poultry consumption to reduce the scale of this welfare problem