Legality of 'broiler' chicken farming challenged

Animal welfare campaigners are taking legal action to try to halt modern methods of chicken factory farming which, they say, cause suffering to millions of birds.

Compassion in World Farming wants the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ban fast-growing broiler chickens, which make up the majority of the market. The charity claims the growing process leads to leg deformities and heart failure.

The group lodged papers in the High Court this week and said studies showed up to 30 per cent of the more than 800 million birds reared every year in the UK were affected. The British poultry industry rejected the claims and said less than 2 per cent had discernible problems with their legs.

Campaigners say broiler birds are selectively bred to reach their slaughter weight of about 2kg in 41 days – twice as fast as 30 years ago. The chickens' lungs, heart and bones fail to keep up with the rapid growth, causing their legs to buckle. "This leads each year to millions, probably tens of millions, of broilers in the UK suffering from painful, sometimes crippling, leg disorders," the group says. "In the worst cases, birds can only move by crawling on their shanks."

The rate of growth has meant farmers have to restrict feeding the flock, to keep them alive until they can provide eggs. That can lead to "chronic hunger", the group says.

Its case is based on the EU's 1998 General Farm Animal Directive that says no animal should be used for farming purposes unless "it can be kept without detrimental effect on its health and welfare". It also says that animals must be allowed enough food to keep them in good health and to satisfy their nutritional needs.

Compassion in World Farming also says the farming methods have health implications for consumers. Between 1992 and 1999 a fifth of reported foodborne illnesses in the UK were linked to poultry.

The British Poultry Council said the legal action was based on outdated and flawed research. Peter Bradnock, the chief executive, said: "The level of leg problems in chickens in the UK is very, very low."

He said the heart problems were consistent with a large population and the breeding flock was fed every day. "It's not a case of starving them but controlling their feed," he said.