KFC releases first animal welfare progress report
News
This July marks one year since KFC UK & Ireland announced they were joining the Better Chicken Commitment following our Change For Chickens campaign.
KFC still have a long way to go to meet our asks, but being open about their supply chain standards is a key first step and helps to show customers that progress is taking place.
As more companies join the Better Chicken Commitment, we will continue to support the restaurant industry and help make these improvements easier and quicker to achieve, creating a better life for millions of chickens farmed every year here in the UK.
Image: Chickens interacting with sweet corn in a barn on a certified chicken farm in Somerset. Credit: RSPCA Assured
What is the Better Chicken Commitment?
By 2026 all chickens supplying companies will:
- Have more space, which a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2.
- Come from slower-growing breeds that have higher welfare.
- Have natural light.
- Have perching space and enrichment so they can display natural behaviour.
- Have no cages or multi-tier systems.
- Be slaughtered humanely.
- Be audited by a third party and publicly report their progress every year.
Image: a chick perching. This is a natural behaviour chickens must be able to display in order to live good lives.
2026 might seem like a long time, but many of the goals we are asking for require investment and big changes on farms that can’t happen overnight.
We hope that many of these changes happen before 2026 and we will continue to offer advice and guidance to KFC and other companies on how to achieve higher chicken welfare.
While we have put many of our public campaigning activities on hold, we will continue to communicate with companies that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures, and are still working hard to improve the lives of farmed animals.