Danish Government Pursues Ban on Turbo Chickens

Danish minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen is advocating for national and EU-wide bans on turbo chickens, which are genetically modified poultry with accelerated growth rates that raise animal welfare concerns.

The Danish government is pursuing a national ban on fast-growing turbo chickens and is calling for the breed to be prohibited across the European Union. Plant Based News states the government is calling for an EU-wide ban, while The Guardian notes the move comes amid widespread outrage over allegations of lawbreaking by one of Denmark’s big chicken producers. Turbo Chicken Production and the Documentary Ross 308s, or turbo chickens, are the most widely used breed in Danish chicken farming. According to Plant Based News, they are similar to frankenchickens in the UK, grow quickly, often become unwell, and either die prematurely or are promptly killed. The Guardian reports that they grow from about 50 grams to 2kg in just 33 days, while other chicken breeds take between 46 and 63 days to reach the same weight. In October, according to Plant Based News, a TV2 documentary alleged that Christian Tvergaard, one of Denmark’s biggest chicken producers, breaks the law to make his chickens grow faster. The Guardian states the documentary was broadcast last week. Plant Based News reports that investigators captured undercover footage at a North Jutland chicken farm owned and operated by Tvergaard that showed animals with such serious problems walking and standing that experts said they should be euthanized. Plant Based News and The Guardian both report that Tvergaard broke Danish law by giving chickens only half the amount of daily darkness required, providing just three of the six legally mandated hours of daylight per day, to encourage them to eat more. In the footage, Plant Based News notes Tvergaard explains that he controls the lights to encourage chickens to eat more and grow faster, saying that is what it is all about. The Guardian adds that in response to the documentary, Tvergaard admitted to making some wrong decisions, stating there is no excuse, but that he can learn from it and correct where he did not do well enough. He told TV2 that he has tightened up the lighting programme and a number of workflows in the stable where procedures and the roster were improved. Government Response and Animal Welfare Christian Rabjerg Madsen, the minister for nature and animal welfare, told TV2 that he is angry about the pictures and that there are general challenges with the welfare of turbo chickens because they grow too fast for their bodies to keep up. Madsen discouraged people from purchasing turbo chickens, and told the broadcaster that he wants to work for a national ban, while noting it is something that needs to be investigated legally and economically. He stated that the government will work for a national ban and a ban at EU level. Plant Based News notes the proposal is a step forward for animal welfare alongside the Danish government recently choosing not to seek an exemption to the European Union proposed ban on mink farming. To comply, Denmark will have to close its seven remaining mink farms by August 2029. Madsen said the government chose animal welfare by adhering to the ban, and added that a business should not continue just because it has existed for a long time, but should also make sense for society, for the economy, and for the animals. The Guardian adds that animal welfare featured heavily in public debate in recent months in Denmark, with pig farming dominating the last general election so much that it was nicknamed the pig election. Industry and Advocacy Reactions According to The Guardian, the proposal for the ban on turbo chickens is gaining political momentum and attracting cross-party support in Denmark. However, industry figures warn that any ban must include imported chickens as well. Klement Hinkbøl Ribergaard, the chief executive of chicken producer Danpo, told The Guardian that if Denmark alone bans fast-growing chickens while shops, restaurants, and consumers can continue to buy imported fast-growing chicken of more or less questionable quality, animal welfare risks not benefiting. The Guardian reports that 95 percent of chickens in the bloc are raised in intensive systems and bred to produce the cheapest amount of meat possible, creating a race to the bottom, according to Eurogroup for Animals. Reineke Hameleers, the advocacy group chief executive, told The Guardian that fast-growing breeds are inherently predisposed to suffering with bodies growing so quickly they can barely stand on their legs, and that Denmark’s political willingness to stop this is an example the European Union should follow. Britta Riis, chief executive of Animal Protection Denmark, told The Guardian that turbo chickens result from a deeply unethical and grotesque form of breeding leading to systematic abuse and considerable suffering, and her organisation is calling for all chickens to be bred for the same amount of time as organic breeds, which is 56 days.

Read source: Plant Based News