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Clipping - Western Morning News
Wednesday 28 May 2008
Debate is good for welfare of chickens.
Tonight Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall returns to our TV screens with a new River Cottage series, including an update on how people responded to the spotlight he put on chicken production in January. Andrew Maunder, commercial director of leading poultry producer Lloyd Maunder Ltd., will be watching with interest.
We had another visit from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall a few weeks ago. He wanted to catch up on how things have changed for us as poultry producers since his ‘Hugh's Chicken Run' programs in January, which contributed greatly to a national debate about chicken welfare standards.
I always enjoy my encounters with Hugh, in a masochistic sort of way. Though we've met and talked many times, we still indulge in robust debate which one of his camera crew likened to two cockerels sparring. Very appropriate given that the setting for our encounters is, more often than not, a chicken farm.
There's no question that Hugh is passionate about chicken welfare but, as someone who was born into a poultry company, so am I. There are many things Hugh and I disagree about but it may surprise some to know that there are also many things, possibly more things, that we actually agree on.
The debate about chicken welfare started by Hugh and his fellow celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in January was one I welcomed. We allowed both of them to film on Lloyd Maunder farms where they could see, film and ask anything they wanted.
We are proud of what we do and proud of the West Country farmers we work with, all of whom have chicken welfare as a top priority no matter which system they produce in. So, we and our farmers agreed to the filming because we had nothing to hide but also, more importantly, we recognised that Hugh and Jamie wanted the same result as we did – for consumers to be more aware of how the chicken on their plate got there.
It's a constant frustration for me that chicken has become a cheap commodity. Every chicken sold was a sentient being and deserves respect. But, if you can get something for virtually nothing it's unlikely you'll value it and you certainly won't respect it. No animal should be cheapened in this way and I work hard, every day, to ensure people have a better understanding of how chicken is reared so that when they come to the poultry aisle in the supermarket they are more inclined to read the label and make an informed choice.
Don't get me wrong. The standard ACP system that came in for so much criticism in January is not, I believe, bad or wrong. It has been developed to meet the huge appetite we've developed for cheap chicken meat and as a result produces it with great efficiency. Every farmer I know who grows chicken in this system is conscientious and professional and has welfare as a top priority. And while price is the main retail trigger for chicken products, this will continue to be the main production system in the UK. This will only change if welfare becomes part of the buying equation and people are prepared to pay a little more.
I'm pleased to say that this now seems to be the case. The risks we took in allowing Hugh and Jamie to film with us have paid off. The effect of their respective programs in January was immediate and, to date, sustained. Overnight demand for chicken reared in higher welfare systems went through the roof. People from all walks of life began to make different choices about the chicken they wanted to eat and we couldn't keep up with it.
The problem is that poultry production is planned up to 18 months in advance, right back to hatching the breeding stock needed to lay the right number of eggs which then have to be hatched themselves, reared, slaughtered and processed. This process simply can't be scaled up overnight.
And then we have to have somewhere to rear the chicken. In the free range system for example, a farmer looking to expand would need planning permission for new housing, then he'd need to finance, build and equip the houses before we could even supply him with the chicks to rear. We're talking nine to twelve months, minimum.
So this is why people hunting for a free range chicken have sometimes been faced with empty supermarket shelves over the past few months. We and our farmers are working as hard as we can to scale up production, but it will take a bit more time yet.
I know Hugh will be doing his level best to ensure apathy doesn't set in in the mean time, and so will I. There are other higher welfare options available in plentiful supply, that are being grown by farmers right here in the West Country. For Lloyd Maunder, our Freedom Food labeled chicken will soon be the biggest part of our production. These are chicken reared indoors to standards set by the RSPCA, with more room and stimulation including perching, straw bales and toys to encourage natural behavior.
Our farmers have acted quickly to convert to this higher welfare system and for once it isn't a speculative investment for them – the demand is already there. Over the last five months consumers have made chicken a higher priority on their grocery spend and, now that they've tasted how good it is, are coming back for more.
While Hugh and Jamie jointly provided a very swift kick forwards, the market was already changing before their programs in January, albeit more slowly. Our own production levels of higher welfare chicken were already at 60 per cent. This is how we know the change is sustainable and not just a flash-in-the-pan response to media hype.
The priority now for us as a producer, and for our farmers, is to expand in a sustainable way so the integrity of our chicken products is maintained. We've always led the way in pioneering higher welfare systems and are gratified to see the market swing this way so firmly.
The only cloud on the horizon is the credit crunch and the rising cost of living. Food and fuel prices are going up and many consumers may well be looking for ways to economise on their food bill. The good news is that Freedom Food labeled chicken is only marginally more expensive than a standard bird, which means consumers can buy chicken reared to higher welfare standards even if they're on a budget.
As for Hugh, I'll be watching his program tonight to see what of our discussions have ended up on the edit suite floor this time. I'm sure we will continue sparring and, if it helps keeps chicken a priority where people's grocery spend is concerned it will all have been worth it, not least for the chicken.