A new set of higher welfare standards just released by the RSPCA will, for the first time in Australia, provide a certification pathway for chicken meat producers to meet the globally recognised Better Chicken Commitment.

How did a chicken producer go from being bottom of the animal welfare rankings to being the world’s first to meet the Better Chicken Commitment - and bring the rest of the country along with them?

In Australia, chicken farming works differently to other kinds of animal agriculture. How does the chicken meat industry work – and who holds the power?

In Australia, most animal welfare labels are currently binary schemes – either you get the label, or you don’t. Could a tiered system help the transition to the Better Chicken Commitment?

At Better Chicken Australia, we look to the success of our colleagues in Europe to build our vision of better lives for chickens here in Australia. 

Focussing on businesses is one of the most powerful ways to create change for animals. Here are 7 reasons why food business commitments are the key to getting better lives for chickens. 

It can be tricky to make informed choices at the supermarket. Especially when it’s not obvious what different labels and marketing terms on products actually mean.  

Let’s unpack the jargon!

The Welfare Footprint Institute investigated the suffering experienced by different commercial breeds of chickens used in the meat industry. They specifically compared conventional fast-growing breeds to slower growing Better Chicken Commitment compliant breeds. 

It can be more profitable to put up with a relatively high percentage of birds dying early from health problems, compared to the cost and effort involved in preventing these problems. 

Walking problems are one of the easiest animal welfare issues to spot.  

Let’s explore some of the ways fast-growing chicken breeds struggle to move under their own weight.

Meat chickens, often referred to as “broilers” are completely different breeds to the chickens raised for egg laying. Find out why chickens of today look so different from your grandparents' chickens.

World Animal Protection was the first organisation to begin campaigning for the Better Chicken Commitment in Australia. They’ve been tracking the progress of companies towards higher welfare standards for chickens raised for meat. We’ve highlighted the most important messages of their latest report. 

Launched today, Better Chicken Australia is a new joint campaign backed by the Australian Alliance for Animals, World Animal Protection and Animals Aotearoa, which aims to lift the lid on the conditions faced by 700 million chickens farmed for meat in Australia every year.