Every year, billions of chickens are raised around the world to end up on our tables. The vast majority of these animals spend their short lives in intensive farming, in inhumane conditions. In Europe, including Italy, broiler chickens are selected to reach slaughter weight in less than 40 days, a growth so unnatural and accelerated as to cause serious heart, bone, respiratory and motor problems. It’s not science fiction or alarmism, it’s all widely documented by various studies and investigations on animal welfare.
European directives stipulate some minimum standards – adequate ventilation, dry bedding, regular inspections, veterinary care – but the reality is that raising chickens at industrial speed still remains the norm across almost the entire continent.
Norway’s turning point
Among the European countries that are trying to do things differently is Norway, where an important turning point was announced this year, albeit one made by the sector and not through a binding state law. This year the main players in the Norwegian poultry industry, including the cooperative giant Nortura SA and the trade association KLF, signed a joint declaration committing the sector to achieving two specific objectives by 31 December 2027.
The first is to adopt on a large scale the technique of in-ovo sexing, i.e. the selection of the sex of the embryo directly in the egg, to avoid the still widespread practice of killing newly born male chicks, considered “useless” for egg production.
The second involves progressively replacing fast-growing chickens with genetically slower hybrids, less subject to pathologies and capable of moving and behaving more similarly to chickens raised in non-intensive conditions.
As we already announced, this is not a state law with formal sanctions and obligations, but a voluntary agreement between the main players in the supply chain, also coordinated with the Animalia research body. The transition will take place gradually, taking into account the availability of new genetic material and the facilities needed to breed the new breeds.
Hans Thorn Wittussen, Executive Vice President of Commodities and Member of Nortura SA said:
It is important to maintain a generally high level of animal welfare in Norway. Over the years, the Norwegian meat and poultry industry has taken steady steps to improve animal welfare, and we will continue to do so.
A first step on a long journey
For those who follow issues related to animal welfare, this is a concrete signal, not yet another vague promise, but a commitment with precise deadlines signed by those who drive the poultry industry of an entire country. The physiological suffering linked to accelerated growth, which afflicts hundreds of millions of chickens every day, could be significantly reduced. And above all, it shows that it is possible to raise standards without waiting for a law to arrive to impose it.
International animal rights organizations have described similar initiatives as historic steps, underscoring the potential domino effect. If Norway succeeds, other countries and producers could follow its example.
But it is important to be honest: Norway has not banned intensive farming and has not engineered any revolution in the system. We are talking about a voluntary objective, with precise times and serious actors involved, which however remains within the framework of an industry that breeds animals on an industrial scale. Yet, if the transition is completed by 2027, Norway could become a concrete point of reference for all of Europe, proof that improving the living conditions of animals and maintaining an efficient production model are not conflicting objectives.
