Co-op: Stop Selling Frankenchickens

Co-op video thumbnail

I would like to receive emails from The Humane League UK with updates on campaigns, ways to support us, and quick actions I can take for animals.*

Please note: If you already receive our emails, selecting 'No' will mean you will be unsubscribed.


Nearly all of the chickens sold by Co-op are fast-growing Frankenchickens, who are bred to live short, painful lives defined by health problems.

At the 2023 Co-op AGM, over 30,000 Co-op members voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting the Better Chicken Commitment and ending Co-op's cruel use of Frankenchickens for good.

However, the Co-op Board announced that they would not stop selling Frankenchickens, ignoring members' wishes.

This decision was a deep betrayal of Co-op's ethical and democratic values.

Now, a new undercover investigation has exposed just how awful the lives of Co-op's Frankenchickens are. The footage shows chickens with severe deformities, illnesses, and lameness - common health problems affecting fast-growing chickens. In one clip, workers are seen tossing hundreds of dead chickens into bins.

Sign the petition now to tell the Co-op Board: stop selling Frankenchickens and respect democracy.

Learn more

CO-OP'S FRANKENCHICKENS (click to read more)

Each year, Co-op is supplied with around 51 million chickens raised for meat. However, only 2% of these are raised to higher welfare standards. The vast majority of chickens are bred to grow unnaturally fast. Known as 'Frankenchickens', they suffer from painful health problems and often collapse under their own weight. 

Frankenchickens reach an average slaughter weight of 2.2kg in just 35 days. To put that into perspective, this would be the equivalent of a human baby growing to the weight of an adult tiger in just two months.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CO-OP AGM? (click to read more)
A motion asking Co-op to sign on to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) was submitted to the 2023 AGM by concerned members. It was co-signed by more than 400 qualified members, far in excess of the 100 required to validate the motion. At the AGM, it was announced that the 96% of the 32,000 members who voted had voted in favour of the motion.
 
In response, the Co-op Board announced that they would give chickens more space in their sheds. However, they refused to stop selling fast-growing Frankenchickens, a key element of the BCC, causing outrage among members.
CO-OP MEMBER & CUSTOMER REACTION (click to read more)
The decision by the Board to ignore members' wishes was covered by The Guardian and received an angry reaction from Co-op members and customers online. Below are some comments made by Co-op members and customers:
 
"I am really surprised and disappointed with the Co-op. I thought they were a caring firm."
 
"I expect better of the Co-op. I'll not support a company that supports extreme cruelty."
 
"I think the Co-op will find that decision backfires on them. Their previous ethical record made them different from other shops and justified their high prices. Now no one will trust them any more."
 
"The co op is my only store in our town but i will boycott it if necessary and travel the fifteen miles to a different store. They should be ashamed of themselves."
 
"So angry and disgusted. If this is not reversed they will certainly lose this once loyal customer, and many more I imagine."
A yellow line

*When you sign up to our emails, you're agreeing to receive regular updates from us. We promise not to spam you and you can opt-out any time by clicking unsubscribe in our emails.  Find out more about how we look after your data in our Privacy Policy.

Signatures