Perdue Farms Statement on Meeting Demand for Chicken Raised to Criteria Outlined in the “Joint Animal Protection Organization Statement on Broiler Chicken Welfare Issues”
July 17, 2017
Perdue is committed to meeting the demand from current and future customers for poultry raised to higher welfare standards, including the “2024” criteria outlined in the “Joint Animal Protection Organization Statement on Broiler Chicken Welfare Issues” and by the Global Animal Partnership (GAP). Our commitment includes:
- offering slower-growing breeds with measurably higher welfare outcomes and reduced stocking density
- providing elevated housing environments, including brighter light, improved litter conditions and enrichments that encourage normal behaviors
- converting from electrical to controlled atmosphere stunning and demonstrating compliance via third-party verification.
To ensure we meet those requirements:
- We are actively researching alternative breeds, identifying commercially viable options for customers who want slower-growing chickens.
- More than one third of our density already meets GAP’s new standards, and we are expanding housing to ensure we can meet increased demand.
- We have committed to transition all of our harvest plants to controlled atmosphere stunning that eliminates transferring conscious birds to the processing line and have implemented our first CAS chicken system.
- We are working with diverse stakeholders to develop a verification process.