Conclusions

Compassion has actively engaged with retailers for many years to support them on their welfare journey and encourage full transparency on their commitments and progress to compliance with the aid of its annual ChickenTrack report.

Below is a summary of Compassion’s conclusions on broiler welfare for the different retailers as shown in the Spotlight table:

The vast majority of UK retailers have yet to sign up to the BCC. M&S and Waitrose are the only two retailers to have made the pledge for all their fresh, processed and ingredient own-label chicken.
All of M&S' indoor fresh chicken offer is 100% compliant with the BCC (under its Oakham Gold label).
Waitrose's indoor fresh chicken also became fully compliant with the BCC in April 2025. And from September 2025, every Waitrose own-brand chicken product - including frozen, processed and ingredient – complies with the BCC’s higher welfare criteria!
Tesco and Sainsbury’s offer limited volumes of BCC-compliant products.
Iceland is the only retailer to have no public position on the BCC criteria or broiler welfare standards in its corporate policies.
ALDI, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose already ensure lower stocking densities (30 kg/m²).
The vast majority of retailers have not committed to adopting slower-growing breeds, which is essential to truly delivering the welfare benefits expected by their customers.
All retailers, except for Iceland, state that they provide natural light for their birds. Two of them, Tesco and Amazon Fresh, comply with this criterion through reliance on a farm assurance scheme, rather than embedding it in their own corporate policies.
The vast majority (11 out of 12 retailers) state that they provide environmental enrichment to stimulate the natural behaviours of broiler chickens, i.e. they provide at least two metres of usable perch space and two pecking substrates per 1,000 birds in line with BCC standards. However, four retailers comply with this criterion through reliance on a farm assurance scheme, rather than embedding it in their own corporate policies.
More than half of UK retailers’ policies (9 out of 12) state that they adopt humane methods of slaughter (i.e., Controlled Atmospheric Stunning (CAS) using inert gas or multi-phase systems, or effective electrical stunning without live inversion).

Consumer concerns and priorities

Consumers show a high level of concern for broiler chicken welfare. Surveys in the UK reveal that most adults believe chickens feel pain (91.7%), experience emotion (75.1%), and need room to explore and exercise (90.5%). Additionally, surveys conducted across 14 countries (including the UK) reveal that consumers prioritize chicken’s living conditions, such as outdoor access and sufficient space, as well as humane transport and slaughter methods.

Source: Information Sheet 2 – Consumer perception of broiler production.

What needs to be done?

One of the most important requirements of the BCC is moving to slower-growing breeds that have been shown to have better welfare outcomes and lead healthier, happier lives.

Whilst recent moves in the UK sector to lower stocking densities are a positive step forward, when combined with natural light and enrichments, the full welfare benefit will only be experienced when the breed is changed.

The Food Business team at Compassion engages with all UK retailers on the development of their broiler chicken welfare policies and improvement of their public reporting. However, more needs to be done across the industry to improve the welfare outcomes of UK broiler chickens, such as moving to slower-growing breeds.

We strongly urge retailers to ensure their public-facing policies accurately reflect the products currently available on their shelves, creating transparency throughout the whole supply chain - from producer to consumer. Such transparency is essential for empowering shoppers to make informed and ethical choices.