Supermarkets, Coop | Coop and Kiwi get referrals for chicken sales after new study

A new study shows that fast-growing broilers, of which both Prior and Den Stolte Hane producers sell chicken meat, do worse than slow-growing chickens, such as the Solvinge chicken for Rema 1000.

The type of fast growing chicken used by the mentioned producers is the Ross 308 type. Chicken meat of this type is sold both at Coop and Norgesgruppen, and Niklas Fjeldberg, Anima’s campaign manager, thinks this is highly reprehensible .

– Turbo chicken should be removed gradually. It has become a disgrace in chicken production and sadly, it is impossible with good animal welfare with this type. Supermarket chains can’t just hand over responsibility to consumers, he tells Nettavisen.

Earlier this fall, Live Kleveland, communications manager and founder of the Animal Welfare Alliance, also criticized Coop and Norgesgruppen for selling chicken meat of this breed. She thought that the Hubbard chicken, which is used by Solvinge and sold by Rema, is better than Ross 308.

Rema’s Solvinge chicken, on the other hand, was criticized by Noah’s frontman Siri Martinsen because he believed that the Hubbard breed, which uses Solvinge, is no better than others.

The results of the new study that we are going to talk more about here are published in the British scientific journal Scientific Reports. However, the researchers in the new study are not focusing on specific breeds like Ross 308 and Hubbard, but rather on fast- or slow-growing breeds.

Also read: Discuss for feathers to flutter over which chickens are better before they are eaten

The chicken gets in trouble

Fjeldberg at Anima says that Ross 308 was genetically bred for extreme growth and therefore it doesn’t help if farmers do everything right, because there will still be an unacceptable level of animal welfare.

The Animal Welfare Alliance writes on its website that Ross 308 “is bred to grow abnormally fast, so fast that young chickens can have bone and heart problems as a result” and believes the breed should be phased out.

– About 20 percent of this breed of chickens suffer from severe lameness, which in some cases means that they end up starving and thirsty, says Fjeldberg in Anima.

Fjeldberg says that according to a new Norwegian study, more than nine out of ten chickens in Norway were shown to be unable to walk normally.

– Beyond that, it is known that animals get leg sores, respiratory problems and water in the abdomen. Health problems almost explode when growth gets this extreme, he says.

– Muscle diseases also make the meat of poor quality and the slaughterhouse has to throw away some meat. This, in turn, leads to food waste, says Fjeldberg.

Also read: Kiwi and Coop stamps as worst: – It carries a great responsibility

– Poorer well-being

Two of the four researchers behind the new study, Ruth C. Newberry and Judit Vas, work at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås. The other two are researchers from the University of Bristol.

– The increased need for lots of cheap meat has led to the rearing of fast growing broilers, which produce more meat, but also more quickly and efficiently than traditional chickens. This makes production more profitable than with traditional breeds, Vas and Newberry wrote in an email to Nettavisen.

However, raising chickens with too much muscle can have welfare consequences, as measured by health and behavior.

The objective of the observational study was to evaluate the welfare of broilers, which are broilers that are industrially raised for meat. However, the researchers did not focus on the different types of races, but instead examined the relationship between growth rate and indicators of well-being.

Read also: Races against Rema products: – Direct lies

The study concludes that slow-growing breeds are healthier, more active and have a behavior that shows signs of better animal welfare than fast-growing breeds.

– Fast-growing breeds, such as those classified in Ross 308, have previously reported that they have poorer welfare where there is a higher animal density, that is, when comparing densities in the range of 30 to 38 kg / m2 , the researchers explain.

– You have refused to associate with him.

Kleveland of the Animal Welfare Alliance says they are aware of the new research. She says the study confirms previous research on the subject and refers to an article reprinted in the EFSA Journal.

– There are also several other studies from the last few years that also indicate that fast-growing breeds, like Ross 308, have health and wellness issues, he says.

Kleveland notes that the grocery chains that sell this type of chicken have not taken any action.

– Norgesgruppen and Coop have so far declined to be involved in the international investigation and refer to goods suppliers Nortura and Den Stolte Hane. Nortura says they can point to better numbers, but has not released them publicly so far, he says.

It will have consequences for manufacturers

Kine Søyland, head of communications for Norgesgruppen, responds to her thoughts on the criticisms from Fjeldberg and Kleveland, as well as the results of the study.

She believes it is good that the Animal Welfare Alliance, Anima and others are concerned about the best possible animal welfare, and says their input is also important to Norgesgruppen and its chains.

– We have a good dialogue on animal welfare measures with our chicken suppliers, and we experience that they work well with measures for continuous improvement of animal welfare in standard chicken production, he says.

However, Søyland points out that a possible replacement of the breed in all standard chicken production in Norway is a decision that will have important consequences for the producers and suppliers involved.

– Therefore, this decision should be controlled by the poultry industry and chicken suppliers, in accordance with the current requirements and expectations of the Norwegian authorities / Norwegian Food Safety Authority, he says.

Søyland also points out that Norgesgruppen chains don’t just sell meat from fast-growing broilers.

– They also sell products from smaller suppliers with chickens from slower growing breeds such as Hovelsrud, Gårdsand and Holte gård. These are great small-scale producers that offer good options, he says.

– unacceptable

Coop Norway also has no plans to change the chicken breed immediately.

– We consider that the hybrid change is so irrelevant today. Of course this may change, but our supplier considers the Ross 308 to be a sustainable hybrid that performs well, explains communications manager Harald Kristiansen.

He also points out, like Norgesgruppen, that the chain has several alternatives for consumers, and at Coop it is through the Gårdsklekket and Änglamark brands. Both use a slower growing hybrid for the production of chicken meat.

Coop’s answer is based on several factors.

Kristiansen points out that the important discussion about animal welfare is about much more than just breed or hybrid.

– All hybrids, races, populations have their specific advantages and challenges. Good animal welfare is first and foremost about caring for animals in a good way. They need good care, a good house environment and a breeder with good welfare and operation competence, he says.

Kristiansen also reacts to the Animal Welfare Alliance statements, saying that it is not correct that Coop has not implemented measures. He notes that they, in collaboration with their main supplier, Den Stolte Hane, were the first to introduce requirements for environmental enrichment in all poultry houses.

– Of course, this does not mean that there is no potential for improvement, and we will continue to work for better welfare and health in chickens, he says.

At the same time, Kristiansen says that anyone who delivers chicken to Coop participates in the Broiler Animal Welfare Program and the Quality System in Agriculture, which should have given a boost to the well-being of the chickens.

Kristiansen also reacts to Anima’s statements.

– We experience Anima’s criticism as, at best, unadorned, and we react to the formulations used, he says.

It will contribute to improving well-being

Newberry and Vas write to Nettavisen that regardless of breed, there have already been improvements in the welfare of chickens in Norway. This is due to improvements in herd husbandry, equipment, health and management.

– We see better foot health now than before, and some types of bone problems that we have seen before are now rare.

The researchers say they hope their study findings will help continue working for the well-being of chickens.

– We also believe that wellness is not only about reducing health problems, but also about promoting positive aspects of quality of life. So our new study included measures for positive well-being, such as play, exploration, comfort and safety, as well as assessing levels of health problems, the researchers say.