Denmark is making global headlines after proposing a national ban of unnaturally fast-growing chickens, and is calling for Europe to follow suit.
Following an exposé of one of the nation’s largest chicken farms, the Danish government is pursuing legislation against the problematic breeds, coined “turbo chickens”. Nine parties are now in support of a ban, including three parties that voted against the proposal only two years ago, in 2024.
When ‘frankenchickens’ became unacceptable
The apparent turning point came from a hidden-camera investigation aired by the nation’s broadcaster, TV2. The shocking evidence gathered from one of the largest chicken farms in North Jutland showed birds stuck lying on their backs, unable to get up – a hallmark of the inflated growth rate of the unhealthy breeds. It also exposed that poultry producers were only giving the chickens half the darkness hours required by law. Less darkness for the birds equals more eating, further promoting their outsize, rapid growth.
The most common breed used in the exposed and shamed Danish chicken farms is the Ross 308, the same as is used here in New Zealand. These baby birds explode from a hatchling to around 3kgs in just a few weeks. A newborn baby growing at the same rate would weigh around 140kgs in just four weeks, resulting in a one month old the size of All Black front row prop Pasilio Tosi.
This unnaturally rapid growth causes significant suffering to the birds, as their own skeleton can’t keep up with the strain of their bulk. Many chickens die of cardiac events on shed floors, thousands every week including in SPCA certified farms. For chickens bred for meat, even basic functions like walking without pain has been bred out of them, favouring growth speed.
Denmark’s Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare, Christian Rabjerg Madsen, told Danish broadcaster TV2 “Now we will work for a national ban, we will work for a ban at EU level.” He also urged Danes not to buy these chickens in the meantime.
Momentum in the region
Denmark isn’t the first to move on this problem. Earlier this year, chicken producers in Norway united in a commitment to phase out the unhealthy Ross 308 by the end of 2027. Over in the Netherlands, supermarkets acted a decade ago when they stopped selling fresh chicken meat from the unhealthy fast-growing breeds following the public animal welfare “plodkip” campaign – “exploding chicken”. A few months ago, the Dutch government proposed legislation that would end the use of fast-growing breeds altogether.
Whether it’s Governments, producers or supermarkets overseas all pursuing only healthier breeds, the routes differ but the direction is the same. What was once a niche welfare concern is becoming the expected standard in some of the world’s leading food nations, and will be the necessary direction here.
Whether it’s Governments, producers or supermarkets overseas all pursuing only healthier breeds, the routes differ but the direction is the same. What was once a niche welfare concern is becoming the expected standard in some of the world’s leading food nations, and will be the necessary direction here.
Meanwhile in Aotearoa, all that’s on offer from our mega poultry giants are two broken breeds, the white-feathered Ross 308 (as in Denmark) and the Cobb 500. These are top-heavy baby birds that grow like cancer and are 100% of the New Zealand chicken meat market, including on SPCA Certified free range farms. Biosecurity rules mean higher welfare meat isn’t imported – so all production is domestic. Chicken suppliers and hatcheries here have said they need to see demand for them to put better genetics on the table.
Both the internationally recognised Better Chicken Commitment and locally specific SPCA Welfare Plus+ programme are united in calling for better breeds to be established domestically. Chickens urgently need to be freed from the prison of poor genetics.