
Factory farmed chickens suffer short and miserable lives. Will you help put an end to the cruelty?
Factory farmed chickens suffer short and miserable lives. Will you help put an end to the cruelty?
Fast-food giant KFC is one of New Zealand’s most established restaurants with more than 100 stores.
Despite being famous for their chicken, KFC are lagging when it comes to chicken welfare. Chickens are suffering and it doesn’t have to be that way.
KFC New Zealand haven’t signed the Better Chicken Commitment. This means they continue to let chickens suffer in their supply chain. It’s time for that to change.
Image credit: Farmwatch
Chickens on these farms grow so quickly their bodies can’t keep up. Eventually they are unable to stand, and they can barely breathe. On top of this, they are cramped into tight spaces together with not enough room to express natural behaviours – it’s a stressful and horrible environment that has no regard for the bird’s welfare.
And these farms aren’t just bad for animals. They’re also bad for people, and the environment. Their practices can contribute to the rise in superbugs that threaten human health, and they can have serious environmental impacts.
Chickens are the most commonly factory farmed land animal. In Aotearoa alone, around 120 million chickens are factory farmed for meat each year.
This means more than 300 thousand chickens are killed for meat each day. A large number of these suffering chickens are destined for the fast-food industry, and KFC.
You can put a stop to it. Help give chickens better lives.
For things to change and to promote better farming practices, fast-food establishments, like KFC, must start sourcing their chickens from a more responsible supply chain.
Retailers such as Hello Fresh and Domino’s have signed the Better Chicken Commitment. They are committing to source chickens that grow at a natural and healthy rate, with more room to move and better overall health outcomes. We applaud them for making such a positive step forward and for preventing more chickens from suffering.
KFC New Zealand has still not made this commitment. KFC’s business relies of the lives of these animals, and it is unacceptable that they allow their chickens to experience so many horrors in their short existence.
Globally, KFC is making progress towards improving their supply chain. KFC UK and six countries across Europe have all agreed to source chickens from suppliers with higher welfare standards. And it’s time for New Zealand to follow suit.
With no commitments to improve chicken welfare, KFC is failing animals and its customers.
Header image credit: Farmwatch
World Animal Protection Limited (formerly WSPA New Zealand Incorporated). Registered charity CC53491.