The High Court has dismissed a legal challenge that the government is in breach of animal welfare laws regarding the breeding practices of broiler chickens.
Animal welfare charity The Humane League had claimed that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs adopted policies to allow for farmers to rear fast-growing breeds of broiler chicken at the expense of the animals’ welfare.
However, in a judgement handed down yesterday (Wednesday, May 24), Sir Ross Cranston said: “To my mind it cannot be said, a matter of law, that the Secretary of State has acted contrary to her legal duties in the guidance the Code [of Practice] offers.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has welcomed this decision.
“Farm animals are protected by robust animal health and welfare laws, which include detailed requirements on how they should be kept,” a department spokesperson added.
“We will continue to work with the farming sector to maintain and enhance our high standards.”
High Court proceedings
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has said the judgement is a “missed opportunity to make the single most important change for animals in 200 years”.
Its 2020 report – Eat. Sit. Suffer. Repeat. The Life of a Typical Meat Chicken – led the claimant to launch this judicial review and formed the backdrop for the case.
The RSPCA was granted permission to intervene in the proceedings by way of written and oral submissions; there was a witness statement from its chief legal officer, Raymond Goodfellow.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) did not participate at the hearing, however it lodged a Summary Grounds of Resistance at an earlier stage of the proceedings and made submissions at the appellate stage.
Dr. Marc Cooper, head of farm animals at the RSPCA, said: “We’re extremely disappointed by this news.
“The sheer scale of suffering and numbers of animals involved means this is a huge missed opportunity to address the biggest issue for animal welfare in this country.
“The outcome of this judicial review represents a significant failure to address the most pressing animal welfare issue of our time, despite overwhelming evidence of suffering.
“The scale of the issue is unprecedented and set to get worse as numbers farmed are predicted to continue to rise to meet growing demand.”
Th Human League said that while it lost the case, it “gained momentum” in it’s cause, and will “fight to get justice for chickens”.
