Poultry Catching and Loading Welfare

The catching and loading of chickens and turkeys for transport to slaughter is one of the highest-risk periods for poultry welfare, with injuries common under time pressure and poor conditions.

Key Facts

An estimated 40 million UK broiler chickens are caught and transported to slaughter each week
Catching typically involves manual catching of individual birds in low-light conditions by teams working rapidly
Common injuries during catching include dislocated hips, broken wings, and haemorrhaging
Mechanical harvesting systems reduce injuries compared to manual catching in some studies
Low-light catching reduces fear responses, with blue light environments showing the most stress reduction
Catching crew training and monitoring significantly affects injury rates across operations

Welfare Considerations

Catching and loading is a welfare bottleneck in poultry production that occurs billions of times annually but receives relatively little regulatory attention. The speed pressure on catching crews, working in difficult conditions, creates structural incentives for rough handling. Mechanical catching systems, better lighting management, and crew training and monitoring are the most evidence-based welfare improvements for this life stage.

What You Can Do

Support poultry welfare schemes that include catching and loading welfare standards
Advocate for mechanical catching systems to be incentivised through certification schemes
Choose chicken from producers with documented low pre-slaughter welfare incident rates
Support research into optimal catching and loading methods for different poultry species
Contact food retailers about pre-slaughter welfare standards at their supplier poultry farms