In a new survey published by RSPCA Assured, 86% of shoppers say all the chickens farmed for consumption should be farmed to ethical animal welfare standards.
However, only a small minority of chickens produced in the UK come from farms meeting acceptable welfare standards according to RSPCA Assured - the RSPCA’s ethical food label.
The survey revealed price is the biggest barrier preventing shoppers from choosing ethical chicken with 28% saying it’s too expensive.
RSPCA farm animal scientist, Sophie Elwes, says: “We’re known as a nation of animal lovers but most of the chickens we eat don’t have enough space to move around freely. They also grow so fast they become dangerously heavy for their age, with many struggling to walk properly and suffering from heart problems.”
'Cheaper than Cadbury's Creme Egg'
But whilst the price of ethical chicken is cited as the main reason people are not choosing it, and opting for cheaper alternatives, according to Elwes the cost might not be as bad as people think.
“Ethical chicken does cost a bit more. But when you think an RSPCA Assured chicken is over two times cheaper - gram for gram - than a Cadbury’s Creme Egg or is about the same price as two highstreet coffees, it sounds much more affordable and a small price to pay for better welfare.”
The second biggest barrier to more people buying ethical chicken is confusion over claims made on packaging, which can mislead people into thinking the chicken they are buying is higher welfare when it is not.
According to another survey, 60% of people always buy cage free eggs, but as few as around half that number (33%) say they always buy ethical chicken meat.
