Space to Thrive chicken
Space to Thrive chicken is now available in all Co-op stores. This means all of our fresh chicken now has 20% more space in barns, going above and beyond Red Tractor Assurance standards. We will also continue to have RSPCA Assured Free Range chicken available in store.
At our Co-op AGM in May 2023 we announced we would take steps to improve welfare by the end of 2024. We are proud to have delivered this change for our customers and member owners early.
We will also maintain our commitment to all our chicken being 100% British sourced. Whilst we are proud of the move we have made, this move is our first step, and we aim to roll out this change on our ‘added value’ poultry products such as breaded chicken in the near future.
Chicken welfare at Co-op
We're committed to animal welfare at Co-op and our fresh chicken welfare standards go above and beyond the Red Tractor Assurance. We are also proud to stock RSPCA Assured Free Range Chicken.
We work closely with our supplying farms to ensure our strict animal welfare standards are adhered to. These close relationships are key to allowing us to deliver on our welfare commitments for our customers and member owners.
We're proud to support British farming and all our chicken is 100% British. We have maintained this commitment to supporting British farmers across the UK and will continue to do so into the future.
Whilst we're proud to have now launched our Space to Thrive chicken, we're not stopping here. We plan to launch phase two of our journey, which will see all our British chicken used in 'added value' poultry products such as breaded chicken lines also move to the Space to Thrive standards.
“Animal welfare is extremely important to us, our member owners and our customers. We have made a significant investment into poultry welfare to give our chickens more space, leading to an improvement in welfare. This sits alongside our ongoing commitment that 100% of Co-op protein is sourced from our British farmers.”
Sinead Bell, Co-op Commercial Director.
Animal welfare at Co-op
Animal Welfare is important to Co-op customers and our member owners. That's why we're proud that our chickens are reared with care, with 20% more space in naturally lit barns from farms we know and trust.
All our birds are free to roam around the barn throughout the day with continual access to food and water. They are also able to play with straw bales and perch on objects throughout the barn.
Key welfare indicators allows us to monitor the health and wellbeing of chicken across our British supplying farms. We capture key welfare indicators from across a range of areas. Our supplying farmers also regularly check the birds throughout the day to ensure they are happy and healthy. We continually check temperature and ventilation in the houses and ensure that all our chickens have a balanced diet with water that is continuously available at all times day and night.
Read our Co-op Animal Welfare Standards and Performance to find out more about our commitment to creating products that have been produced to good animal welfare standards, regardless of their budget.
