Damon Mcknight
In Australia, Nando's sources its chicken from suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which prioritises improving animal welfare standards for chickens. However, animal welfare organisations have criticised Nando's New Zealand operations for failing to meet higher welfare standards, such as the Better Chicken Commitment. While Nando's NZ claims to source local free-range chickens, animal welfare advocates argue that these chickens still suffer from health issues due to unnatural breeding practices and overcrowded conditions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Chicken sourced from | Suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme |
| Chicken characteristics | Good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering and space to move |
| Animal welfare standards | Well above legal minimum standards |
| Animal welfare in New Zealand | Failing to meet the standards of the UK and Ireland |
| Animal welfare in the UK and Ireland | Signed up for the Better Chicken Commitment |
| Animal welfare in Australia | No specific information found |
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What You'll Learn
Animal cruelty allegations in New Zealand
In Australia, Nando's sources its chicken through suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which focuses on improving the lives of chickens and other farm animals well above the legal minimum standards. These chickens are provided with good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering, and ample space to move.
However, in New Zealand, animal cruelty allegations have been levelled against Nando's. Animals Aotearoa, a member of the Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition working to end the abuse of farmed animals, has led a campaign against Nando's New Zealand, accusing them of animal cruelty and failure to address chicken suffering in their supply chain. They claim that the chickens sold by Nando's in New Zealand have been selectively bred to grow abnormally fast, resulting in health issues such as chronic pain, lameness, heart disease, and breathing difficulties. Some chickens struggle to move and cannot reach food or water, while others suffer organ failure within weeks of hatching.
The campaign by Animals Aotearoa also highlights the living conditions of these chickens, which are crammed into sheds by the tens of thousands. The floor litter is never changed, forcing the chickens to live in their excrement, and the air is filled with ammonia. The combination of poor living conditions and abnormal breeds contributes to the suffering of the chickens.
Nando's New Zealand has responded to these allegations by obtaining SPCA Certification and highlighting improvements such as perches and outdoor access. However, critics argue that these changes do not address the core issue of breed selection. The fast-growing breeds used by Nando's are still prone to pain and suffering, and Animals Aotearoa advocates for Nando's to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a set of science-based standards that give chickens a higher quality of life. Over 11,000 people have signed a petition urging Nando's to improve chicken welfare in New Zealand, and the campaign has included billboards, messages, and protests demanding an end to cruelty.
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RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme in Australia
In Australia, Nando's sources its chicken through suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme. This scheme is Australia's leading independent certification scheme focused on animal welfare. It was launched in 1996 with the vision of achieving higher-welfare farming and improving the quality of life of farmed animals.
The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme works closely with farmers to positively impact the lives of Australia's most intensively farmed animals. It sets detailed and specific standards for each species, which are publicly available and reviewed every five years. These standards are based on the best available animal welfare science, RSPCA policy, and leading farming practices in Australia and overseas. They go well beyond the legal requirements and prohibit many unnecessary or inhumane farming systems, such as the use of battery cages for layer hens or sow stalls and farrowing crates for pigs.
To become RSPCA Approved, farmers must meet these detailed animal welfare standards and undergo a rigorous certification process. RSPCA Assessors visit the farms 2-4 times a year, inspecting all areas where animals are housed, and sending reports to the RSPCA's Certification team for review. The standards for chickens include requirements for stunning prior to slaughter, the discouragement of antimicrobials, ammonia level limits, and regular monitoring of bird behaviour and health.
Brands that source from RSPCA Approved farms can use the RSPCA logo on their products. They must also implement traceability systems to ensure that RSPCA Approved products can be traced from the point of sale back to the farm. The licensing fee paid by these brands covers the compliance costs of the Scheme, including ongoing farm assessments.
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The Better Chicken Commitment
The BCC is a set of standards that give chickens a higher quality of life. It involves phasing out chicken breeds that grow abnormally fast, reaching the size of an adult bird in less than six weeks. This is done to improve the health of the chickens, as these abnormally fast-growing breeds often face health problems such as heart disease and lameness. Some chickens bred this way cannot even lift their bodies off the floor to reach food or water.
The Better Chicken Initiative (BCI) is Compassion in World Farming's flagship program in the United States. Its mission is to improve the lives of chickens raised for meat, which comprise approximately 95% of farmed animals in America, through meaningful corporate engagement and public outreach. The BCI has worked with food giants such as Whole Foods Market, Compass Group, Panera Bread, and Perdue Farms to help these brands achieve measurable change in the lives of chickens.
Nando's in the UK and Ireland has committed to the BCC, but it is unclear if Nando's in Australia has made the same commitment. In Australia, Nando's sources its chicken through suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which focuses on improving the lives of farm animals, including chickens, well above legal minimum standards. These chickens live with good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering, and space to move. However, some sources claim that even the free-range label used by Nando's condemns birds to an unnatural life of suffering, with chickens crammed into sheds in their tens of thousands.
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Fast-growing chicken breeds
In Australia, Nando's chicken is sourced through suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which prioritises improving the lives of farm animals, including chickens, beyond the legal minimum standards. These chickens are provided with good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering, and ample space to move. However, it is unclear whether the chickens supplied to Nando's Australia are free-range or fast-growing breeds.
The New Hampshire breed, an American Heritage chicken breed, is another example of a fast-growing dual-purpose bird, used for both meat and egg production. They are known for their deep, broad bodies and quiet temperament, making them easy to raise. While Heritage breeds like the New Hampshire grow more slowly than hybrid broilers, they offer benefits such as richer meat flavour, natural reproduction, and dual-purpose capabilities.
Some people have attempted to breed Cornish X or Rangers to create their own strains of meat birds. However, this endeavour is challenging due to the complex genetics involved in maintaining the desired meat production traits. Additionally, the focus on rapid growth in broiler chickens has led to concerns about animal welfare and health. These abnormally fast-growing breeds may experience health issues such as heart disease, lameness, and organ failure within weeks of hatching.
To address these welfare concerns, initiatives like the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) aim to phase out chicken breeds with unnaturally fast growth rates. Fast-food chains, including Nando's in the UK and Ireland, have committed to the BCC, recognising the need to improve the quality of life for chickens. This includes transitioning away from chicken breeds that reach adult size in less than six weeks, prioritising animal welfare over rapid growth and meat production.
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Animal welfare standards
In Australia, Nando's sources its chicken from suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme. This scheme prioritises improving the lives of farm animals, including chickens, beyond the legal minimum standards. Chickens sourced for Australian restaurants live with good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering, and space to move.
However, in New Zealand, animal welfare organisations have criticised Nando's for selling animal suffering under the free-range label. Chickens are crammed into sheds in their tens of thousands, and the supplier, Tegel, uses abnormally fast-growing breeds that struggle to walk, causing chronic pain and lameness. Many never make it outside.
Nando's UK & Ireland has committed to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a set of science-based standards that give chickens a higher quality of life. This includes phasing out abnormally fast-growing chicken breeds, lowering stocking densities, and providing slower-growing breeds with a better chance to develop their immune systems, gastrointestinal tracts, and bone development.
Nando's New Zealand has not committed to the BCC, despite pressure from animal welfare organisations and customers. In 2023, Nando's UK & Ireland Product Director, Judith Irons, stated that the company was "proud to have signed up to the commitment to change all of our product over to a slower-growing breed by 2026." This commitment to higher welfare standards for chickens in the UK and Ireland has not been mirrored in New Zealand.
To uphold its values of ethical and sustainable farming, Nando's Australia and New Zealand should aim to meet the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment and provide transparency about their animal welfare practices.
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Frequently asked questions
In Australia, Nando's chicken is sourced through suppliers who are part of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which focuses on improving the lives of farm animals, including chickens, beyond the legal minimum standards. These chickens are provided with good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering, and ample space to move.
In New Zealand, Nando's claims that their chickens are locally sourced from free-range farms. However, there have been concerns raised about animal cruelty and welfare in the treatment of these chickens, with some reports suggesting that they are subjected to unnatural living conditions and suffer from health issues due to abnormally fast growth.
Nando's UK & Ireland has committed to higher welfare standards by signing the Better Chicken Commitment, aiming to transition to slower-growing chicken breeds by 2026. However, Nando's New Zealand has been criticized for not meeting these same standards, with calls for them to improve their practices to align with their values of ethical and sustainable farming.
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