Co-op prioritises corporate greed over animal welfare, says Chris Packham

Western Telegraph

17-05-2025

The broadcaster and naturalist joined demonstrators outside the supermarket's AGM in Manchester. They are calling on the chain to ditch fast-growing chickens raised for meat, known as 'Frankenchickens', from its supply chain.
'Frankenchickens' are bred to produce the maximum amount of meat in the shortest amount of time and can reach a slaughter weight of more than 2.0kg in five to six weeks, according to animal welfare charity The Humane League.
Speaking to the PA news agency from the protest, Packham said the rapid growth rate of the chickens puts a 'horrendous' burden on the 'physiology and the anatomy' of the birds.
'Basically, they're taking on too much weight too quickly for their skeleton to cope with it, and we see all sorts of hideous deformities and muscular problems in the chickens, they end up scrabbling around in their own excrement, which is acrid and burns their skin off,' he said.
Some supermarkets justify their use of 'Frankenchickens' by arguing some customers cannot afford meat raised in better welfare conditions, the environmentalist added.
'There's an ethical problem there to start with and that is that people on lower incomes should have as much right to exercise their choices when it comes to the ethics of animal welfare as anyone else,' he said.
'That is entirely wrong to say that people can't afford to make an ethical choice – well, that affordability is in the hands of the Co-op.
'They're the ones that are setting the price and we know full well that supermarkets sell some of the items on their shelves at loss to lure us in, where they make a profit on other items.'
Of the price difference between chickens raised in higher and lower welfare conditions, Packham continued: 'The interesting thing is, I need to be very clear about this, the increase when it comes to chicken is in pence, not pounds.
'It's pence we're talking about here, so this is basically the greed of the corporate world, once again, striving to maximise its profits at the expense of high welfare standards.'
On his message for Co-op customers, Packham said: 'The pound in our pockets or purses is incredibly powerful.
'If we don't buy it, they won't sell it because they're interested in making a profit.'
A motion proposed at the Co-op AGM (annual general meeting) two years ago to stop the chain using 'Frankenchickens' was passed by 96%, but since then 'nothing has happened', he added.
Another motion on phasing out the use of the fast-growing chickens was passed at Saturday's AGM with 90.94% voting in favour.
According to the motion, the Co-op is supplied with more than 10 million chickens, 98% of which are 'Frankenchickens'.
A spokesperson for the Co-op said: 'Animal welfare is extremely important to us and our members, and we work hard to ensure all the animals in our supply chain are looked after.
'All Co-op fresh chicken is 100% British, reared in lower-stocking density environment and exceeds Red Tractor standards, placing us significantly ahead of most other retailers for chicken welfare.
'We will explore all opportunities to continue to improve animal welfare across our supply chain, whilst also considering the impacts on British farming, on the environment and the prices our members and customers pay in store.'
Claire Williams, campaigns manager at The Humane League UK, said: 'If human babies grew as quickly as Frankenchickens they'd weigh as much as an adult tiger at two months old – that's nearly 300 kilos.
'These birds have been bred to suffer; their lives are marked by pain, stress and burden. Yet so-called ethical retailer Co-op continues to sell them.
'This urgently needs to change.'
Members at Saturday's meeting also voted in favour of ceasing 'all trading' with Israel following the conflict in Gaza.
Citing the Co-op's previous decision to 'boycott Russian products' following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the motion read: 'We urge the board to show moral courage and leadership, apply the same ethical principles and values it did to Russia, and take all Israeli products off the shelves.'
The board said it will consider the thoughts of members expressed by the non-binding vote.
The motion passed with 72.8% voting in favour.
The supermarket chain is currently recovering after a major cyber attack caused significant disruption including bare shelves in many of its shops in recent weeks.