Today we presented our experience with catching chickens to the animal welfare inspection authorities of all EU Member States. We spoke at the annual meeting of the EU network EURCAW-Poultry-SFA. In total 66 people attended.
Chickens are still commonly caught upside down, by one leg, with three to six birds held at a time. This method causes panic, wing flapping and attempts to escape, which often lead to collisions with housing equipment, crates or containers. In 2017, Eyes on Animals introduced upright catching. With this method, chickens are held in a natural, upright position and handled more calmly. Research by Wageningen University & Research, ILVO and others shows that birds caught upright experience less stress and suffer fewer injuries. Upright catching is now used on a growing number of farms, including all biodynamic (Demeter) laying hen farms and all Kipster farms. See the full list here >>
Upright catching is already standard in many countries
Upright catching is already common in large parts of the world. In Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, and in Colombia, most broilers are caught upright because of meat quality reasons. In Thailand, the Chaveevan Group, a major chicken meat producer, also catches upright. And in Switzerland it has been standard practice for more than fifteen years.
More than the catching method alone
But the catching method is not the only thing that affects animal welfare. We are also calling for:
- Better transport containers, crates and housing systems, to reduce catching injuries and to ease fatigue and frustration among catchers. Container drawers, for example, often lack enough head height, so birds hit the edges more often. Catchers also often have to lift too high, because containers can be up to five drawers tall. In addition, aviary systems are often poorly suited to catching: they are too high and too deep, and full of obstacles.
- Less pressure from slaughterhouses and transporters to catch quickly. People need time to handle animals with care! Several studies show that faster catching leads to more injuries.
Catching machines: opportunities and challenges
In the Netherlands, a court has ruled that, from 2027, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) must take enforcement action when chickens are caught by their legs. This means the sector must switch to other methods: catching upright by hand, or using catching machines. Since the ruling, demand for catching machines has risen sharply. Machines offer opportunities because fewer catchers are needed. The catchers who are no longer needed can be deployed to catch laying hens by hand, since no machines exist yet for laying hens. But machines can also bring challenges. Operators must be very well trained, belt speeds must not be set too high, and container drawers must be properly matched to the machine to avoid flapping, collisions and injuries.
The time is now
The EU animal welfare rules on transport are currently being revised. As early as 1995, the Council of Europe recommended that poultry should not be carried upside down and should be better protected against catching injuries. Now, 31 years later, it is time to put those recommendations into practice. We hope our field experience can help make that happen.
We would like to thank EURCAW-Poultry-SFA for the invitation and the opportunity to share our experience.
