Higher Welfare Award - Chickens: Criteria

To apply for this award, you will need to be a well-known or notable food company that can satisfy the criteria below.

Companies can receive the award in one of two categories:

Current Policy: awarded to companies that already meet the award criteria.
In Transition: awarded to companies that have made a commitment and are working towards meeting the criteria within five years.

Applying in Europe

Companies applying for a Higher Welfare Award - Chickens in Europe must meet the following criteria:

A valid public sign-up to the European Chicken Commitment (ECC)
- Compliance needs to be achieved within five years of signing up
Significant progress in the implementation of the ECC:
- At least 50% of the total volume of fresh and frozen chicken already compliant with the on-farm criteria of the ECC (stocking density, breed, natural light, enrichment).
A public roadmap with clear timelines to transition to ECC-compliant products
Annual public progress reporting towards the ECC

Applying in North America

Companies applying for a Higher Welfare Award - Chickens in North America must meet the following criteria:

A valid public sign up to the US Better Chicken Commitment (BCC)
Compliance with the BCC within five years
Publicly available timelines for transition to BCC compliant products
Demonstrate progress in the implementation of the BCC:
- Achieve full compliance with the enrichment criteria of the BCC (litter, lighting, enrichment)
- Demonstrate good progress on at least one of the other three criteria of the BCC (stocking density, breed, CAS)
Annual public progress reporting towards the BCC

Applying in other regions

Companies applying for a Higher Welfare Award - Chickens in other regions of the world (i.e. outside Europe and North America) must meet the following criteria:

A valid public sign-up to the Better Chicken Commitment*
Compliance with the BCC within five years from the date of the Awards ceremony
Publicly available timelines for transition to BCC compliant products
Annual public progress reporting towards the BCC

* Better Chicken in accordance with the ECC criteria.

Why apply?

Winning an award enables you to:

Demonstrate leadership on farm animal welfare and responsible sourcing.
Show how your policies and commitments align with your company's values and sustainability goals.
Strengthen supply chain transparency and traceability, helping to manage business and reputational risk.
Build trust and confidence among customers, investors and other stakeholders.
Gain recognition for your achievements from a globally respected farm animal welfare organisation.
Respond to growing consumer demand for food produced to higher welfare standards.

Support on your journey
We can help you identify welfare improvements through our expert technical advice and support, through our case studies which share best practice and we have a bank of resources to help you make the case for choosing higher welfare systems.

How to apply

Companies can apply via their engagement with the Food Business team and on completion of an application form signed at Director Level.

Retailers can apply for their own label (fresh, frozen and processed) chicken range only, and may exclude branded goods.

Manufacturers/producers can apply for a specific brand under the following conditions:

Europe and North America: application based on current policy for that brand PLUS overarching commitment for all the company’s own brand production.
Other regions of the world: a commitment at brand level can be accepted.

Where an application is made on a commitment basis, companies are required to provide annual progress reports against their commitment. Compassion will maintain regular contact with award winners throughout the commitment period to monitor progress, offer ongoing support, and help ensure commitments are met within the agreed timeframe.

Full text of the European Chicken Commitment

Full text of the Better Chicken Commitment

Ready to apply? Contact us today to start the conversation.

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