A YouGov poll commissioned by animal protection charity Open Cages in December 2021 has found that a staggering 78% of British people oppose factory farming practises which cause animals to experience pain or suffering as a means of producing affordable food, with a majority strongly opposing.
Respondents were given examples of typical factory farm practises, such as breeding chickens to grow 400% faster than they did in the 1950s, leading to a slaughter age of just 35 days old, and keeping large volumes of animals inside large, crowded facilities for their entire lives.
“There's a common attitude of seeing consumers as too cheap to support a move to higher standards.”
The poll was conducted to explore how Brits balance concern for animal welfare with desire for affordable food. Higher prices are generally recognised as the main obstacle to improving farm animal welfare. Intensive animal farming is specifically designed to minimise the costs of rearing and slaughtering the animals.
Dozens of undercover investigations published in recent years have suggested that animal suffering is commonplace on British farms, contrary to the “high” welfare standards claimed by the big retailers and industry schemes like Red Tractor. Over 70% of farm animals in the UK are kept in intensive facilities.
Animal charities are urging food businesses to take note, arguing that these revelations strongly challenge a “common” industry justification of factory farming: that British consumers are too cheap to pay higher prices for animal products.
A YouGov poll commissioned by animal protection charity Open Cages in December 2021 has found that a staggering 78% of British people oppose factory farming practises which cause animals to experience pain or suffering as a means of producing affordable food, with a majority strongly opposing.
Respondents were given examples of typical factory farm practises, such as breeding chickens to grow 400% faster than they did in the 1950s, leading to a slaughter age of just 35 days old, and keeping large volumes of animals inside large, crowded facilities for their entire lives.
“There's a common attitude of seeing consumers as too cheap to support a move to higher standards.”
The poll was conducted to explore how Brits balance concern for animal welfare with desire for affordable food. Higher prices are generally recognised as the main obstacle to improving farm animal welfare. Intensive animal farming is specifically designed to minimise the costs of rearing and slaughtering the animals.
Dozens of undercover investigations published in recent years have suggested that animal suffering is commonplace on British farms, contrary to the “high” welfare standards claimed by the big retailers and industry schemes like Red Tractor. Over 70% of farm animals in the UK are kept in intensive facilities.
Animal charities are urging food businesses to take note, arguing that these revelations strongly challenge a “common” industry justification of factory farming: that British consumers are too cheap to pay higher prices for animal products.
Open Cages CEO Connor Jackson comments: