Breaking: KFC commits to higher chicken welfare in six European countries, thanks to you
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Chickens are winning as KFC joins the Better Chicken Commitment in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. It’s the first major fast food outlet to commit to this set of standards, which will give better lives to tens of millions of chickens
This fantastic news comes after more than half a million of you demanded the company provides better standards for chickens.
We handed your petition signatures over to KFC’s Kentucky headquarters in October 2018.
Tens of millions of chickens will benefit as a result of this historical decision, which is a first for any fast food chain in Europe.
A sincere thank you
It hasn’t been quick or easy – but this is a huge commitment from one of the world’s largest fast food companies.
Without people like you who signed our petition and supported in other ways, wins like this would simply not be possible.
What this change means for chickens
The commitment means that by 2026 all the farms that supply KFC’s restaurants in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium will move away from the use of fast-growing breeds that suffer from painful heart, lung and bone problems.
Members of our UK team standing outside a Change For Chickens campaign mural in London
KFC chickens will also have more space to move around, more natural light and enrichment such as straw bales to explore and peck, so they can behave more naturally.
Ian Woodhurst, our UK farming campaigns manager, said: "This is fantastic news for chickens in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium, and an important first step towards improving the welfare of chickens globally. We hope the other regions and countries where KFC operates will follow suit as quickly as possible.
"We look forward to continuing our work with KFC to improve chicken welfare on all the farms around the world that supply it with chickens, and we will continue to challenge other global fast food companies to follow KFC’s lead and make a change for chickens."
As well as signing the Better Chicken Commitment, KFC will also use third-party auditing to verify its commitments, publicly report on progress every year and provide funding for research into better welfare.
We hope the other regions and countries where KFC operates will follow suit as quickly as possible.