– In the half hour we have been here, I see a lot of natural chicken behavior. It is not common to see in Norwegian chicken barns of this size, says Lise Kleveland. She is the communications manager in the Animal Welfare Alliance, and stands in a chicken barn at Melhus in Trøndelag. There are around 20,000 chickens in here. They run around and play with each other, eat, lie down and enjoy each other, and can explore freely. The reason is the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) – a set of rules that will improve animal welfare in the chicken industry. Norwegian producer is first out The standard has been prepared in collaboration with animal welfare organizations, and contains several requirements: The chickens must have better space and more natural light. In addition, you should breed a chicken breed that grows more slowly than the one that is most common in Norwegian industry. So far, 270 European chicken producers have committed to sell meat according to ECC standards by 2026. Among these are international players such as KFC, Nestlé and IKEA. Norsk Kylling, which is owned by Rema, is the first industrial producer in the world to now meet the ECC standard. It has not happened by itself. – This is a project that we have entered into with skin and hair and heart and soul, and not least invested both time and money in. We are very happy that we now get the result we wanted, namely a value chain for white meat which is completely different from the one we experienced just a few years ago in our system, says chairman of the board Ole Robert Reitan. – In the end, you end up being able to sleep better at night, and I’m very happy about that, he adds. Ole Robert Reitan can sleep better now when he knows that the chickens from Norwegian Chicken are doing well – and it’s not so bad for the economy either. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news Can combine production and animal welfare Kleveland in the Animal Welfare Alliance is in no doubt – this set of rules has a lot to say for animal welfare. – In relation to the minimum requirements in Norwegian legislation, these chickens are miles better. They have much better space, they have a lot of daylight which makes them more active, and they are of a breed that does not grow as fast as the usual chickens in Norwegian production. This means that they have better health and are a fresher and more active little bird. For the first time, the animal welfare organization also sees that it is possible to combine large-scale chicken production with good animal welfare. – We in the Animal Welfare Alliance have been in doubt about that, but what we see here today shows that it is possible. Norwegian chicken gives the birds a significantly better animal welfare, says Klevland and continues: – There is no reason for the competitors to hold back. They have to push themselves around and do the same. Kleveland has no doubt that the chicken here is better off than elsewhere. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news Will not sign ECC Nortura, which is behind the brand Prior, does not appear for an interview with news, but responds in an e-mail: – Over time, Nortura has produced both standard chicken and slow-growing alternatives. Our production meets many of the requirements in ECC, but since Norwegian chicken production already maintains a recognized high level, we will not currently sign ECC in its entirety, writes communications manager Mari Hagerup. news has also been in contact with the chicken producer Den Stolte Hane, who is also not available for an interview. Christin Scaumburg Bjønness is head of quality, animal welfare and health. She writes in an e-mail that they are concerned about animal welfare, and follows the statutory Animal Welfare Program for broilers. – Our standard production complies with all the Norwegian requirements and by far most of the requirements in ECC with the exception of a somewhat higher density and type of hybrid, she writes. – Norwegian production has low mortality, low disease incidence and lower animal density than standard production in most other countries – some results from foreign studies show. Possible to make a complete turnaround Reitan hopes that Norwegian chicken can be a role model for competitors, and show that it is possible to make a complete turnaround. – When you start looking at an upheaval of an entire value chain, it looks scary, it looks expensive, it looks difficult. But the logic is very simple. If you do things right, then in the end it makes a lot of sense financially. – I can now stand here and say that it is entirely possible to implement, and it can also be very profitable, he adds. Part of the reason is less waste in production. Mortality is almost gone, and there is less disease among the chickens. – What is it like to get praise from animal rights activists? – It is unusual, because we are not so used to it, but it is very nice. I am very happy to be able to use my life as a merchant to contribute to improvement processes in all food production. I hope we can continue to have a good dialogue, because we have the same interests.
ttn-69
Norwegian Chicken has introduced the ECC standard to improve the animal welfare of the chicken – news Trøndelag
