Moy park receives support from RSPCA for higher welfare chicken production
Following a recent industry visit to an innovative broiler farm in Lincolnshire, Moy Park Ltd has received support from the RSPCA for its higher welfare standards. As part of this major commitment to welfare, the UK’s largest producer of fresh chicken has invested £30 million into the opening of the new Anwick plant, which has been matched by a further £30 million in farming over the last year. Each farm includes windows for natural light, a feature that Moy Park has led the way on over the last decade, which vastly increases the welfare of chickens by encouraging natural behaviour.
Today, Moy Park Ltd is the leading innovator of fresh chicken production in the UK (organic, free range and indoor) and has pioneered breeding standards over the last 10 years. In addition, it has developed award-winning training and investment across its Agricultural business, encouraging individuals to develop a career in farming.
Marc Cooper from the RSPCA expressed support for Moy Park’s leading edge production commenting: "Moy Park has raised the bar for improving welfare in standard chicken production in some key areas. I would love to see a company like Moy Park go the extra mile and champion Freedom Food chicken production."
Managing Director of Moy Park, Nigel Dunlop continues: "We are proud to have pioneered chicken production standards in the UK and are delighted that the RSPCA is supporting our ongoing development. We will continue our major investment programme in the UK for chicken production and development of our farmers and production workers."
Moy Park has pioneered welfare standards for chicken in the UK which, as a result, has been published as a template for high standards. It was the first company to introduce natural light into the rearing sheds, and the young chicken’s environment is enriched by supplying bales for birds to play with, encouraging them to express their natural behaviour. Moy Park was the first company to introduce bales in 1989.
Moy Park’s Anwick facility represents a state-of-the-art primary processing site, the largest investment in food manufacturing in Europe. The Anwick plant’s weekly throughput is 1.4 million birds, all reared within a welfare friendly radius of the site of 30 miles. Every department through the plant is equipped with the very latest and unique packing technology, all with live bird welfare and finished product eating quality at top of the agenda. The plant has been developed with sustainability in mind with water recycling systems halving the amount of water that is needed to process each bird.
