Two of the biggest restaurant chains in Canada have pledged to reduce the suffering of millions of chickens in their supply chains by raising welfare standards in their operations.
Burger King and Tim Hortons, owned by Restaurant Brands International, collaborated with international farmed animal protection organization Mercy For Animals on the new policies.
The first of their kind in Canada, these commitments are landmarks for the country’s poultry industry to move to less cruel methods of housing and slaughter.
Chickens raised for meat (known as “broilers”), are usually some of the most abused animals, according to Mercy for Animals. The chickens are often bred to grow so fast that their legs can’t support their own body weight. Many spend nearly all their time sitting in their own waste, which can cause extreme feather loss and painful sores. At many slaughterhouses, chickens are killed by being shackled upside down and having their throats cut open, many while still fully conscious.
To counteract this process, Burger King and Tim Hortons said they will only use only chicken that meets the welfare standards laid out by Global Animal Partnership (GAP), an international farmed animal welfare certification program. Chicken suppliers will have to breed only higher-welfare strains of chickens, reduce the stocking density of the birds, improve light levels and litter quality inside barns and stun the birds to render them unconscious before slaughter.
“We have been so pleased to work with Burger King and Tim Hortons to develop their progressive broiler welfare policies,” said Mercy for Animals VP Krista Hiddema. “It is certainly a testament to the times that two of Canada’s largest quick-service brands are committed to meeting GAP standards, and we are confident the rest of the Canadian food industry will soon follow.”
The organization is calling on other restaurant brands, including Cara, which owns Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, St. Hubert, Milestones, and Kelsey’s, to adopt this chicken welfare policy as well.
