Members of GCAW’s Broiler Chicken Welfare Working Group were pleased to welcome guest speaker Máire Burnett, Technical Director at the British Poultry Council to their September meeting.
Ms Burnett presented an overview of the UK poultry market covering consumer preferences, production methods and welfare standards.
The UK market is in the midst of considerable change, largely driven by retailers, as opposed to policy reform: over 70% of the UK retail market has recently committed to limiting stocking densities for conventional broiler breeds to 30kg/m2 by the end of 2024.
She noted the fundamental challenge to achieving lower stocking densities in the UK is the availability of land and obtaining planning permission, especially when there is competition for space with laying hen farmers moving away from caged systems. Other challenges, mirrored in many global markets, are the trade offs between higher welfare and wider sustainability metrics, and the increased costs of higher welfare production.
Ms Burnett also introduced GCAW members to the EU BroilerNet project which aims to enhance the resilience and sustainability of the European broiler sector by fostering collaboration between scientific research and farming communities. Some 25 academic and commercial partners in 13 countries are collaborating on this project, funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme until July 2026.
The meeting continued with member discussions.
