In the UK 850 million chickens are reared every year, 95% of which are in intensive indoor units. The report stated a growing appetite for chicken is accelerating climate change through deforestation to supply soy for the chicken’s diet.
The UK imports around three million tonnes of soy annually; almost 60% is used by the poultry industry. The production of soy is a major driver of deforestation and land-use change in South America. Over half of the soy used to feed poultry in the UK is not certified deforestation free.
Martin Lines, UK chair of the Nature Friendly Network, said: “As we see the public being encouraged to move from red meat to white meat we must look closely at the environmental and climate footprint of the animal feed inputs coming from around the world.”
The Eating Better report ‘We Need To Talk About Chickens’ found poultry overtook red meat sales for the first time in 2017 and now accounts for 50% of meat consumption. This switch in popularity of red meat to chicken is causing real and hidden costs.
Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, added: “We know that for human and planetary health we should all be eating better meat and more plants, yet our chicken consumption has been increasing as a substitute for red meat.
“We need to get the message out that chickens today have over twice the amount of fat, of chickens consumed in 1970 and have fewer essential nutrients, they are not the answer.”
The historical decline in health benefits from white meat was highlighted in the report, where it showed the fat content of chicken increased from 8.6g of fat per 100g in 1970 to 22.8g of fat in 2004. Chicken now offers 69% less iron than in 1940 and five times less omega-3 than in 1970.
Simon Billing, executive director of Eating Better, commented: “Now feels like a crossroads for UK agriculture alongside the climate and biodiversity crises. We need to call out the further growth of chicken production is not a health or sustainability solution.
“There is a need to support nature friendly farming, with less and better meat, that restores our soil, regenerates nature and provides good rural jobs.”