In a New Zealand first, SPCA has awarded its revered Animal Welfare Certified badge to barn-raised chicken farms.
Ingham’s is the first company to meet the rigorous new animal welfare standards for barn-raised chickens. The official approval from New Zealand’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity means all of Ingham’s chicken farms are now SPCA Certified – another first for the local industry.
Ingham’s New Zealand chief executive Ed Alexander says animal welfare has always been top priority.
“We know Kiwis love their chicken – more than a third of all our meals with meat are chicken, and we also know how much Kiwis care about the way animals are farmed in Aotearoa, so this was always an important benchmark for us to reach, especially to be the first to do so.
“We’re proud to say that being 100 percent SPCA Certified means that all of our chickens will have better lives. Our operations have always been welfare-focused, so this association with SPCA has been our motivation to make tweaks we needed to – and wanted to. Now we can proudly bear the SPCA Certified blue badge on all our chicken meat products, which we hope sets a benchmark for the entire industry.”
SPCA Certified national manager Kelly Drake adds the charity is pleased to add barn-raised meat chicken farming to their growing list of SPCA Certified standards.
“SPCA is delighted that Ingham’s has become 100 percent SPCA Certified for all of their free-range and barn-raised meat chicken farms. This will mean millions more chickens are living better lives on these farms in New Zealand – above and beyond the minimum legal requirements.”
Ingham’s barn-raised chicken products – complete with the SPCA Certified blue badge – will be in supermarkets from November.
Raising the bar on welfare
All SPCA Animal Welfare Certification standards for chickens are specific, measurable, science-based and provide a significant point of difference to the welfare of barn-raised chickens – especially when compared to minimum standard required by law. Every care standard must be met by chicken farmers wanting to become SPCA Certified.
These include
- More space for chickens to be active
- Quality dry litter for natural foraging activity and comfort
- Increased ventilation
- More natural environmental features, including perching platforms and curiosity items to peck
- More daily barn walk-throughs and interactions with the farmer
- Four independent on-site audits per year ensuring SPCA standards are maintained
- No hormones/antibiotic use for growth promotion purposes*.
* Even prior to this SPCA Certification, Ingham’s does not permit the use of hormones or antibiotics for growth promotion purposes.