In an open letter published today in the European, Chris Packham has called on prime minister Andy Burnham to ban fast-growing chicken breeds from schools, hospitals, prisons, military bases and government offices.

Packham said the government should use its purchasing power to stop public bodies buying chicken from birds bred to reach slaughter weight in as little as 35 days. That’s a growth rate 500% faster than chickens in the 1950s.

He wrote that the chicken in a minister’s lunchtime sandwich or a hospital meal has probably come from a bird slaughtered at just over a month old. And yet there would likely be nothing on the packaging to say so.

Around 95% of the one billion chickens reared in the UK each year come from these fast-growing breeds. Packham cited YouGov polling showing 78% of Britons reject farming practices that cause animals pain and suffering.

Packham wants public sector contracts to require slower-growing breeds under Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) standards.

He pointed to Denmark, where a near-unanimous coalition in parliament agreed in 2023, working alongside the global animal welfare charity Anima, to phase fast-growing breeds out of state procurement.

The Danish agreement also set up a working group on chicken welfare and backed a push for an EU-wide phase-out. Thirty-two of Denmark’s 98 municipalities have since introduced full or partial bans, covering close to 40% of the population.

Packham also credited Anima’s work in Norway. It’s on course to become the first country to eliminate fast-growing breeds entirely by the end of 2027. And he noted that major German retailers have committed to phasing them out by 2030.

Packham put responsibility for change squarely on the prime minister:

Responsibility for this lies in the corridors of power; it lies with you.

Packham says the country doesn’t want it so the country shouldn’t pay for it

He argued that a procurement ban would cut demand for fast-growing breeds using powers ministers already hold. It wouldn’t need any new legislation. And it would stop public money subsidising a farming system most of the public says it opposes.

He contrasted retailers that have already acted in phasing out frankenchickens, such as Waitrose and M&S, with companies including KFC, Nando’s and Pret, which he said have broken earlier commitments to do so.

The letter also renewed Packham’s criticism of Pret A Manger. Pret pledged in 2018 to complete its move to slower-growing breeds by 2026. But it has since pushed that date back to 2032 after making 0% progress. Packham said he is among nearly 100,000 people who have pledged to boycott the chain over the delay, a campaign run by Anima.

Featured image via Anima

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