Why food business commitments?
You might be wondering – why are we asking food businesses to lead change for chickens? Why not focus on getting the government to strengthen animal welfare laws? Or educate individual consumers about how to make more ethical choices?
We know from history and current campaigns around the world that focusing on businesses is one of the most powerful ways to create change for animals.
That doesn’t mean it’s the only way to get positive results – but it’s at the heart of how we can achieve large-scale improvements for farmed animals.
Here are 7 reasons why food business commitments are the key to getting better lives for chickens.
1. Governments are slow on animal welfare
Legal protections are powerful. But when it comes to animal welfare, governments move far, far slower than the private sector.
Raising mandatory standards for meat chickens is a long-term goal. In the meantime, we can help make that legal change far more likely by getting changes into place, now, through corporate commitments. This will shift the bar for what’s considered acceptable in practice, paving the way for future legal reform.
2. Consumers want businesses to take action
Most Australians want to see higher animal welfare standards. While many people are unaware of the specific ways chickens are suffering in the meat industry, most people believe that higher animal welfare is always a good thing.
Individual consumers are powerful when we come together to call for corporate change. We at Better Chicken Australia are helping channel that power, by giving you a voice to advocate for businesses to lift their standards.
3. Ethical sourcing is a smart business move
Today’s consumers are conscious. When it comes to spending your hard-earned money, you don’t just want the best bang for your buck – you want to feel good about your choices. That’s why sustainability is becoming mainstream, and third-party animal welfare certifications are so popular.
When companies can provide better ethical options for their customers, that’s a competitive edge for them – and a new way for you to more easily live your values.
4. Producers follow the demand
You could argue, why not go straight to the source? Why not cut out the middleman and go to the chicken producers and ask them to change their practices? We are indirectly engaging with producers by influencing their customers’ demands (food businesses).
Producers ultimately like higher animal welfare standards. They still make their money, and higher welfare standards for animals also make chicken sheds and slaughterhouses safer for workers.
Chicken producers respond to what their clients want in their chicken supply. That’s why working with food businesses, like supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and catering companies, is the key to getting chicken producers to adopt higher welfare standards.
5. Businesses work at large scales
When a business decides to improve their animal welfare standards, it affects a lot of animals. Just one food business committing to change impacts hundreds or thousands of animals every year.
While individual consumer choice is important, we can make a huge impact by working with a smaller number of powerful decision-makers. And when we’re talking about very large companies, you can imagine how big of a difference they can make.
6. Just one business can trigger a chain reaction
Businesses are competitive with each other. That means that when one business makes a successful decision, others are likely to follow their lead. Businesses don’t want to be left behind!
You can see this in other actions businesses have taken for animal welfare. For example, Coles was the first major supermarket to announce that it would end the sale of caged eggs under its own brand label. Woolworths quickly followed.
Companies know that animal welfare is important to their customers, so they're motivated to “race to the top” to keep and grow their customer base.
7. Business commitments pave the way for other kinds of change
It doesn’t stop at food businesses. In fact, responsible food business leadership paves the way for greater change in society. Every time a corporation makes an ethical policy announcement, it raises more public awareness. When businesses make animal welfare a part of their brand identity, that’s even more powerful!
Legal reform often comes after society has already demonstrated strong support for change. We can see this with battery cages on egg farms. Businesses are far ahead of government when it comes to pushing for change. Now that most eggs produced in Australia are cage-free, state and territory governments are finally on the pathway to banning battery cages.
How can I help encourage businesses to sign the BCC?
First, check out our Take Action page. Here you'll find the latest ways you can get involved.
If you’ve already taken all our current actions, you can:
Share the word with your friends and family, and ask them to Take Action too.
Tell your local restaurants and shops that you have higher expectations for animal welfare – and that they should sign the Better Chicken Commitment.