Today – a shocking new animal welfare survey investigates the prevalence of a skin disease caused by chickens being forced to lay in their own faeces and urine. Working with the BBC, it has been revealed that millions of UK chickens are suffering burns from their own excrement.
- Birds are kept in filthy, crowded conditions and are bred to grow unnaturally fast
- As a result, 3 in 4 of the whole chickens sold in Lidl are plagued by ‘hock burn’ from the birds laying in their own waste
- The BBC finds that 1 in 3 of all UK supermarket chickens also suffer from the condition
Analysing photos of 1,964 chicken products from 40 Lidl stores in 21 UK cities from September to November 2023, Open Cages detected ‘hock burn’ on 74% of the whole birds examined. These painful chemical burns can be seen with the naked eye as a brown ulcer on the back of the leg.
The BBC took our findings and asked the top 10 UK retailers to reveal their own figures. Shockingly, it was discovered that 1 in 3 of the chickens sold in UK supermarkets.
Andrew Knight, Veterinary Professor of Animal Welfare explains: “Fast-growing chicken breeds and overcrowded conditions are used by some supermarkets in an attempt to maximise profits, but chickens can suffer as a result. This is indicated by meat characteristics such as hock burns and white striping disease, which consumers can see with their own eyes, as shown in this report… The hocks (ankles) of chickens suffer chemical burns when chickens are forced to rest on urine and faeces-soaked flooring, for weeks on end.”
Why do chickens get hock burns?
Supermarkets typically source chickens from heavily crowded factory farms in which the birds’ waste drops to the floor and is not cleaned until after slaughter. Chickens can be chemically burned by the ammonia in the excrement, causing a skin ulcer which can still be seen on the meat when purchased in the supermarket in the form of a dark brown lesion.
Professor Knight continues: “This report reveals how highly prevalent these conditions are, within UK meat chickens sold in Lidl. The results are chronic suffering for many millions of chickens, and poorer meat quality. The solution is to use slower-growing chicken breeds with more space, as advocated by the Better Chicken Commitment.”
The Better Chicken Commitment
Open Cages, alongside leading animal welfare charities, is calling on Lidl to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC.) The BCC is a set of RSPCA-backed improved welfare standards signed by hundreds of food businesses across the world.
Chickens raised to the standards of the BCC suffer significantly fewer health issues like hock burns and muscle diseases because they are more active, can grow at a more natural pace and live in more spacious and hygienic conditions.
Open Cages founder Connor Jackson comments: “I hope our report arms consumers with knowledge and helps them make more informed choices about where they shop. Hundreds of companies – from high end retailers to discounters – have signed the Better Chicken Commitment and in doing so have responded to the many problems associated with intensive chicken farming. But companies like Lidl have refused to sign up, despite half a million people signing the petition. As the largest retailer in Europe, Lidl has a uniquely influential voice and should be leading the way on this.”
600+ companies such as Marks and Spencer, Waitrose, KFC, and Lidl France have signed up to the BCC. Retailers all over Europe have agreed to stop selling fast-growing chickens, including every major French supermarket.
Sign the petition calling on UK supermarkets to sign the Better Chicken Commitment.