Broiler Catching Teams: Training and Welfare Outcomes

The skill and training of poultry catching teams directly determines welfare outcomes at depopulation, with evidence that properly trained teams significantly reduce bird injury rates.

Key Facts

Independent catching teams catch approximately 80% of UK broilers - they are contractors rather than farm employees
Injury rates including broken legs, dislocations and bruising vary significantly between catching teams
RSPCA Assured and Red Tractor standards include catching welfare requirements but audit compliance is inconsistent
Night catching in reduced lighting lowers bird activity and stress during the catching process
Video monitoring during catching has been piloted in some facilities to enable welfare audit of actual catching practice

Welfare Considerations

Catching team welfare impacts are immediate and measurable - fracture rates, bruising and haemorrhage from catching are recorded at slaughter and provide direct feedback on catching welfare. The challenge is connecting slaughter-line data back to specific catching teams and farms in a way that drives improvement. Welfare-positive catching requires training in correct carry technique (carrying birds upright, limiting numbers per carry), appropriate equipment, supervision and monitoring. The commercial pressure on catching teams (speed-based pay) creates incentives incompatible with careful handling. Welfare-aligned payment structures that reward low injury rates alongside throughput would better align economic incentives with welfare outcomes.

What You Can Do

Support welfare certification schemes that include catching welfare monitoring with feedback to farms
Advocate for mandatory slaughter-line welfare monitoring data being shared with source farms
Choose poultry from supply chains with documented catching team training requirements
Support research into catching system design and team management that reduces injury rates