KFC commits to higher chicken welfare in six European countries
News
Thanks to your support, KFC has joined the Better Chicken Commitment in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. It’s the first major fast food outlet to commit to this set of standards, which will give better lives to tens of millions of chickens
This fantastic news comes after more than half a million people like you demanded the company provides better standards for chickens.
We handed your petition signatures over to KFC’s Kentucky headquarters in October 2018. And as a result, tens of millions of chickens will benefit a result of this historical decision, which is a first for any fast food chain in Europe.
A sincere thank you
It hasn’t been quick or easy – but this is a huge commitment from one of the world’s largest fast food companies.
Without people like you who signed our petition and supported in other ways, wins like this would simply not be possible.
What this change means for chickens
The commitment means that by 2026 all the farms that supply KFC’s restaurants in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium will move away from the use of fast-growing breeds that suffer from painful heart, lung and bone problems. 
Members of our UK team standing outside a Change For Chickens campaign mural in London
KFC chickens will also have more space to move around, more natural light and enrichment such as straw bales to explore and peck, so they can behave more naturally.
Ian Woodhurst, our UK farming campaigns manager, said: "This is fantastic news for chickens in the Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium, and an important first step towards improving the welfare of chickens globally. We hope the other regions and countries where KFC operates will follow suit as quickly as possible.
"We look forward to continuing our work with KFC to improve chicken welfare on all the farms around the world that supply it with chickens, and we will continue to challenge other global fast food companies to follow KFC’s lead and make a change for chickens."
As well as signing the Better Chicken Commitment, KFC will also use third-party auditing to verify its commitments, publicly report on progress every year and provide funding for research into better welfare.
We hope the other regions and countries where KFC operates will follow suit as quickly as possible.
Chicken facts
Did you know chickens have been living with humans for more than 5,000 years and their closest living relatives to the Tyrannosaurus Rex?
Factory farming
Factory farming does not just inflict unimaginable suffering on billions of animals, but the intensive and cruel methods also lead to the destruction of habitats and release climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.