Despite the quality mark, most meat chickens still do not have access to free range

A large number of poultry farmers still do not have access to a place for chickens, even if this is stated on the packaging of the meat. This is evident from research by Omroep Gelderland.

Since last year, supermarkets have only sold meat with the Better Life quality mark introduced by the Animal Protection Society. One of the minimum requirements is that the chickens have access to a covered area for part of the day. But of the 482 broiler farms in the Netherlands, this is only true in more than 100, according to the regional broadcaster.

Poultry companies are already allowed to use the quality mark if they intend to change their stables. The quality mark gives them two years to build the outdoor covered area. They must be able to show that they have already applied for permission for the extension.

But because of nitrogen regulations, applications are rarely approved. The effect of outdoor access on the environment with slow-growing broilers is unknown, says Anne-Jo Smits from the Poultry Science Centre.

Poultry farmers who have a license are waiting to spend money on upgrading their stable because they fear their license will be declared invalid.

Therefore many companies cannot change to the Better Life quality indicator within the set period of two years. So the Animal Protection Association has recently decided to give these poultry farms a longer delay in achieving a covered area. They now have until 2027 to achieve this. In this way, they want to prevent a shortage of chickens with a quality mark from ending up in supermarkets again.

Joyce Donat from the Consumers’ Association believes that consumers are being misled by the Better Life quality mark as a result of the current situation.

“You can expect meat with a quality mark to meet all conditions. If it doesn’t, you’re being lied to.” She says that the fact that poultry farmers cannot get permission to build an outdoor area is very difficult, but it should not be a reason to give a quality mark in advance.

The animal welfare group Ongehoord believes that consumers are being misled by the Animal Protection Society and they call it an “administrative trick”. The group has lodged a complaint with the Advertising Code Committee.

In response to Omroep Gelderland, the Animal Protection Group said they continue to support the option of granting exemptions to companies without a free range. Better Life Quality Mark chickens are said to have other benefits that fancy chicken does not. They have more space, see daylight, have a longer time to grow and straw bales attract attention, according to the Animal Protection Society.

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) will soon begin a study of the environmental impacts of keeping chickens with the Better Life quality mark.

Research shows that emissions from animal-friendly chickens are likely to be two to three times higher than from traditionally-kept chickens, says Jan van Harn, researcher at WUR. “But official measurements have never been made on chickens kept according to the Better Life quality standard, so we don’t know exactly what the emissions from these chickens are,” says Van Harn.