Recently, an article trumpeted KFC’s new guidelines for raising chickens humanely. According to Animal Welfare Progress though, this isn’t new:
KFC has had an animal welfare policy for almost a decade. KFC imposes specific, strict welfare performance standards on its suppliers. KFC’s guidelines and audits are designed to manage and monitor each step of the process to ensure that all birds are handled humanely and suffer no pain. KFC audits its suppliers for compliance, and non-compliance could result in termination of the supplier’s contract.
I know these guidelines are supposed to put people at ease, but, well, spelling these things out might not help. Here are the topic headings and some choice quotes:
1. General
“If audit reveals dirty or sick birds, corrective action at the grow-out house must be taken.”2. Raising
“KFC prohibits suppliers from de-beaking any poultry that will be sold in our restaurants.”3. Catching
“KFC requires suppliers to implement an incentive program that rewards catching crews for minimizing injury if audit reveals that birds are being injured during the catching process.”4. Transport
“Transport crates must not be over-filled and enough space must be provided to allow all birds to lie down.”5. Holding
“Birds held in storage sheds must be provided adequate ventilation…”6. Stunning
“Stunning equipment must be maintained to ensure all birds are unconscious prior to slaughter, and the time between stunning and slaughter must be limited to ensure that no bird regains consciousness prior to slaughter.”7. Humane Slaughter
“State of the art slaughter equipment must be properly maintained to ensure all birds are slaughtered quickly and without pain.”
Our question though was, why is KFC so concerned with chicken welfare? I wouldn’t expect their clientele to be terribly concerned. A KFC Press Release reveals KFC’s reason for acting:
PETA is attempting to mislead the public with an outdated and questionable video on chicken production, the National Chicken Council said today. “The beak-trimming machine shown in the PETA video is a ‘Lyons’ model used about 30 years ago. The system shown is no longer in common use in our industry,” said Richard Lobb, a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council. “PETA’s attempt to portray this outdated method as today’s standard practice is false and misleading.”
[...]
Beak trimming is never performed on broilers — animals sold for their meat. When done, it is conducted on day-old male birds in the breeder flock in order to prevent injury to other birds as roosters become aggressive with maturity. Only the sharp tip of the beak is removed, not a large portion as shown in the outdated PETA video. Precision laser technology is rapidly replacing blade systems.