The nation?s fourth-largest poultry producer, Perdue Farms, announced it?s adopting new animal welfare standards that increase the well-being of its broilers.
The announcement came from the Perdue Animal Welfare Summit, which brought together animal care experts from around the globe, advocates, researchers, and farmers. Jim Perdue, Chairman of Perdue Farms, said trust is earned by responding to consumers and other stakeholders and includes a willingness to make changes in policies.
Perdue became the first major company to promise a future supply of poultry that meets the animal welfare criteria outlined in the Joint Animal Protection Agency Statement on Broiler Chicken Welfare Issues. Those standards were agreed upon by a coalition of nine industry groups as a meaningful change to broiler production. Some of Perdue?s improvements will include more room for chickens to move, more light during the day, and longer periods of lights-out for rest. Other changes include more chicken houses with windows as well as controlled-atmosphere stunning.
