Animals Aotearoa has launched a public campaign against Nando’s New Zealand, for their failure to address chicken suffering in their supply chain.
When companies market themselves as doing good, yet overlook the severe suffering of the very animals their brand is synonymous with, it raises serious questions. So our focus is back on Nando’s and the troubling reality of chicken cruelty within their operations. Our mission is to shine a light on what these animals endure.
We felt the Nando’s chicken logo needed a re-vamp to better reflect the reality of what happens to the unnaturally bred chickens they use. And we were up to the challenge!
Chickens are naturally curious and playful. They have a lifespan similar to most dogs and will bond with humans if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, the chickens raised for meat used by Nando’s New Zealand are denied this natural existence.
Update October 2024
As of October 2 2024, SPCA announced that Nando’s only buys SPCA Certified chicken. This means behavioural enrichment inside sheds is required, including perches and objects to peck at. There is overhead shade and shelter at all times to encourage outdoor range use.
However, the same unhealthy, abnormally fast-growing breeds are used, meaning Nando’s NZ standards is not addressing the key cause of suffering to chickens in NZ, and remain behind their UK and Irish counterparts.
Only a commitment to the Better Chicken Commitment, which means a transition to healthier chicken breeds, will ensure the suffering shown in this campaign is addressed.
This campaign is focusing on Nando’s because of the abnormally fast-growing breeds used by Tegel to supply Nando’s with free-range chicken.
A Life of Suffering for Nando’s chickens
Due to selective breeding, chickens grow so big and so fast that many suffer chronic pain and lameness. Some can’t hold their bodies up and are unable to reach food or water. Others struggle to breathe or suffer organ failure within weeks of being hatched. They can literally die of a broken heart.
That’s why our campaign logo features a Nando’s chicken with a broken heart and collapsed legs. Showing Nando’s chickens are cruel by design.
We’re spreading this campaign logo far and wide with online advertising, billboards and hundreds of people contacting Nando’s demanding better.
All this suffering stems from a pursuit to grow chickens faster than nature intended. It’s not natural, it’s not necessary and it’s not what people want.
Misleading Advertising
Nando’s advertises they use only free-range chicken, but the reality of life for these birds is a far cry from what any normal person would picture when they think of “free range”. These birds are crammed into overcrowded sheds, housing tens of thousands at a time. Nando’s supplier, Tegel, utilises fast-growing breeds that struggle to walk, resulting in widespread suffering. The sad truth is that many of these chickens never see the outdoors, contradicting the common perception of “free-range.”
Why is Nando’s Heartless?
In 2021, we started reaching out to Nando’s, urging them to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) in New Zealand. Nando’s UK and Ireland took a step in the right direction by signing the BCC back in 2020 to give chickens better lives, and we’ve been asking ever since: When will the chickens used by Nando’s New Zealand receive the same treatment?
In November 2022, we launched our campaign against Nando’s. Even then we gave them leeway to investigate the Better Chicken Commitment, but they have ignored all requests for dialogue and seemingly failed to do anything to progress towards less suffering for the birds they sell. The birds suffering every day need Nando’s to do better.
A Collective Voice for Change
Kiwis care deeply about animal welfare. Already, over 11,000 people have signed our petition asking Nando’s to extend their welfare commitments to New Zealand. Despite this outpouring of concern, Nando’s continues to turn a blind eye.
It’s time to raise our voices and demand change. We’ve made it easy for you to send a message to Nando’s urging them to do better for the chickens they serve.
Together, we can make a difference for the animals who need our help the most.
Visit www.heartless-nandos.co.nz to make your voice heard and help us put an end to this suffering.