Fellow animal lovers,
We all know that factory farming relies on secrecy. Supermarkets like Tesco or Morrisons do their very best to keep you in the dark about the cruel origin of their chicken.
Right now we have a rare opportunity to influence how animal welfare labelling works. If we can make sure they tell the truth, we can help consumers make more informed choices.
The UK Government has just launched a CALL FOR EVIDENCE on whether the rules of welfare labelling should change. They want to hear your views.
Here’s what you need to do to share your views:
- Respond to the consultation here
- Read this article from Open Cages CEO Connor for some guidance on your response
Below you will find more detailed guidance on responding to the consultation:
- It only takes a few minutes to complete – many of the questions are simple multiple choice answers.
- You do not need to answer every question.
- Keep your answers short. The Government is only looking to hear your personal views.
- If you only have a few minutes, the most important questions to answer are 17, 24 and 25.
- If you have a little more time, please also answer 16, 22, 32, and 53.
- 16: you may want to consult Connor’s article: there is no requirement to include even basic facts about the animals life or death; companies are permitted to use deceptive tactics; factory farmed animal products should come with warnings of their negative consequences on the planet.
- 32: simply pick the label type which you think contains the most valuable information. We chose “Etiquette Bien-Être.”
- 53: share any examples of chicken products where you think the labelling is misleading, for example Morrisons’ welfare assured “Butcher’s on Market Street” chicken which was discovered to be from cruel factory farms.
- Please complete the answers in your own words – sometimes if the government receives many identical responses this can appear less compelling than if people express their views independently.
- If you’re not sure about a question, either skip it or check out Connor’s article for some guidance.
Remember: you do not need to answer every question. The most important questions to answer are 17, 24 and 25.
Thank you for speaking up for chickens. Please comment below and let us know when you’ve shared your views!
From
Open Cages on behalf of Chris Packham