KFC (in the UK and Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden) has become the first major fast food outlet to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment, also known as European Chicken Commitment. These are a set of standards that will improve the welfare of millions of chickens. Last year a petition signed by over half a million World Animal Protection supporters was handed in to KFC’s HQ urging the company to give chickens better lives.

The commitment means that by 2026 all the farms that supply KFC’s restaurants in the UK and Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden will move away from the use of fast-growing chicken breeds that suffer from painful heart, lung and bone problems. 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.

As a result, KFC estimates that 73 million chickens will benefit from improved welfare each year.

Welcoming the commitment by KFC, Ian Woodhurst, our farming campaigns manager, said: “This is fantastic news for many millions of chickens. It’s an important first step towards improving the welfare of chickens globally. We hope other regions and countries where KFC operates will follow suit as quickly as possible.”

World Animal Protection launched its Change for Chicken campaign in 2016 and a year later began working with KFC in the UK and Europe on improving the welfare of the chickens on farms that supply its restaurants.

As well as signing up to 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 chicken welfare.

Find out more about how World Animal Protection is tackling farm animal welfare issues here.