This is NOT a joke. Tyson Foods, giant of animal-based food production and the largest exporter of deceased cows’ flesh out of the US, is apparently letting chickens choose their welfare measures as part of a two-year study out of their so-called Broiler Welfare Research Farm, in collaboration with payrolled researchers at the University of Arkansas.

‘For a more enriching environment, Tyson Foods’ animal welfare team lets chickens do the choosing’, read the headline of a recent The Poultry Site article covering the announcement by the food giant of a two-year study into welfare standards concerning broiler chickens being conducted at the ironically named Broiler Welfare Research Farm (BWRF). We could not believe our eyes, thinking that with April 1st coming up, it must surely be a joke. Sadly not:

The BWRF, which opened in October 2020, is a unique facility within the poultry industry. As an operating four-house broiler farm, it allows Tyson Foods to evaluate welfare with the involvement of trained collaborators from academia. The farm has viewing rooms that allow researchers to view the birds’ natural behaviors without disruption that can be introduced with the presence of humans.

Tyson - the world’s second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork, and top exporter of beef out of the US - can make the claim that its study is ‘scientifically evaluated’ with ties to academia due to its convenient collaboration with researchers from the University of Arkansas on the payroll of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association and its two-year grant. Nothing eases the public’s conscience more than the belief that scientists said something is ok, and while that is largely true of peer-reviewed studies published in reputable journals, there is no mention of any such corroboration from the scientific community, nor of any potential conflict of interest given that everyone involved is being paid by either Tyson Foods directly or by a major industry trade group.

In fairness, they are clear in stating that the study has only recently started and is far from being complete and at a stage where it can be objectively peer-reviewed. Perhaps we can understand their excitement at what they believe to be a progressive and groundbreaking project, leading to this PR-friendly announcement to the world and their valued customers further down the supply chain.

As mentioned above, the venue for the research, the BWRF, has only been operating since October 2020, but it seems from the promotional video that Tyson has high hopes for how much it’ll help people feel better about needlessly depriving chickens of their lives.

To quote Karen Christensen, Senior Director of Animal Welfare at Tyson Foods, speaking in the video:

“We realised how important welfare was, not only to Tyson, but also to our customers and ultimately to consumers. They really care about where their food comes from. And we really wanted to be able to tell them that story. We felt that one of the best ways we can do that is to really understand what's important for welfare and makes a positive impact on the birds and that was really the beginning of this facility.”

Where to start? People might care about where their food comes from, but Tyson certainly isn’t telling them the whole story. Regardless of how well suited the lighting in the sheds is, or how perfectly heated they are, it does not change the fact that broiler chickens have been selectively bred to grow abnormally large in a very short period of time, around six weeks from chick to the weight at which they’re slaughtered. When they are killed, it is done in the same way as any other animal bred and raised for human consumption, regardless of how well they were treated: needlessly and violently.

According to Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), broiler chickens have a mortality rate of one per cent a week, seven times the rate of laying hens of the same age. In other words, one in every 100 chickens dies every week. Many suffer from painful lameness caused by abnormal skeletal development and difficulties walking or standing. A well-lit feeder or drinker means absolutely nothing when many of the chickens cannot even stand to reach them. The issues affecting broilers go well beyond welfare and to their very genetic makeup thanks to generations of selective breeding by humans.

So how exactly are the birds “choosing” what they prefer in regards to welfare? Despite Tyson apparently developing technology that can translate chicken vocalisations, as we saw mentioned in the video, the broilers obviously cannot really tell us what they like when it comes to enrichment, temperature and so on. Instead, the measure of preference is primarily how well they grow. This is very telling as it is a business case criteria based on the end product, rather than the chickens actually making any kind of conscious decision. It assumes that a fat chicken is a happy one, which is conveniently also what Tyson wants. Quoting Christensen further:

“Right now, with the farmers just getting started, one of our priorities is to work on lighting. The research that we've done suggested that the birds like to have a gradient of bright light over their feet, and then areas of dimmer light where they can go and rest and feel much more secure. Previous work we've seen really good performance both growth rate and feed conversion, really tells us so far that this is a lighting scheme that the birds really prefer. 

“We have a number of microphones that are collecting the vocalisations of the birds, and they will use those different vocalisations to help us understand when they're happy, or when they want something changed.”

Apparently, the broilers can actually tell Tyson what it is they want. If that is truly the case, perhaps we should show them what inevitably happens at six weeks old and hear what they say. 

“We care about the birds that are entrusted to us, and I'm proud of the fact that Tyson Foods feeds not only the nation but the world. It's important that while those birds are under our care that we do the right thing,” said Christensen in closing.

Do the right thing, indeed. Was the right thing ever to raise them in the first place? Was the right thing ever to exploit sentient beings for their flesh? You can treat them as well as you want - and let’s be clear, Tyson doesn't even do that - but it will never be the right thing.

Andrew Gough is Media and Investigations Manager for Surge.

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