Good animal welfare and environmental score for French poultry producers
The French poultry industry is performing well in the areas of animal welfare and the environment. Supermarkets are setting ever higher requirements.
The French poultry industry is on track to achieve its animal welfare and environmental targets. What is even more encouraging is that the vast majority of consumers appear to be aware of these efforts and appreciates them. Whether consumers are prepared to pay for the consequently more expensive chicken or turkey remains an entirely separate issue.
Expectations regarding welfare and the environment
In 2020, the organisation for the poultry industry, Anvol, published its Plan Ambition 2025 with 6 targets designed to “meet the expectations of the general public regarding welfare and the environment”. This initiative was partly prompted by supermarkets that continuously demand higher standards for chicken and turkey. Anvol has now done an evaluation and sees a positive outcome.
• More than three-quarters of the French population indicates that they are aware that the sector is actively working on “continuous improvement of practices in the poultry industry”.
• More than 80% also know that France is focusing primarily on quality chicken, while a similar percentage states that the poultry industry is vital for the preservation of the countryside.
Natural light
With regard to specific targets, by 2025, 50% of the animals were required to have access to natural light, while this is currently the case for 74%. For French quality chickens under the Label Rouge scheme and for organic chicken, the figure stands at 100% as this is included in the requirements.
In the meantime, ever more conventional poultry benefits from natural light. Heijmans said, “Many poultry producers have installed windows in the houses or constructed a covered outdoor area for the birds.”
Antibiotics and feed
Another target was to reduce the use of antibiotics by 60% over a 15-year period starting from 2010. Today, the reduction already stands at 72%, with a 12% decrease achieved in 2021 alone.
Furthermore, the sector has directed efforts with regard to the feed used towards achieving zero deforestation, a requirement that is now met for 95% of the feed. The French feed industry has managed to increase the share of raw materials sourced domestically to 80%, while the remainder is obtained from sustainable sources elsewhere in the world.
Enough chicken?
One challenge remains: the delivery of sufficient conventionally grown chicken to retail outlets. The French sector supplies many chickens under the Label Rouge, Organic, or other quality labels, yet these are proving too expensive for many consumers.
Anvol notes: “A quality chicken Label Rouge is, per kilo, essentially not more expensive than conventional chicken that has been pre-sliced.” Convincing consumers of this, however, remains a difficult task.
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