Co-op members took to the streets of Manchester on Saturday, to protest against the supermarket’s refusal to sign the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC). The demonstration follows an undercover investigation which revealed the suffering of Frankenchickens on a Co-op farm.
Members of the Co-op brand wore blue and donned chicken masks, carrying home-made placards and large blood-splattered membership cards. They also submitted hundreds of messages from Co-op members and shoppers on postcards.
Hannah Dickson, a Co-op member and protest organiser said: “Co-op may claim that their members’ vote was not binding, but the members are the lifeblood of the Co-op. When 96% of voters call for the supermarket to improve chicken welfare we expect something to be done. We voted for change expecting that deformed, sick and dying Frankenchickens would no longer be tolerated. Giving the birds more space is good, but these chickens have misery hardwired into their DNA; even in perfect conditions they’ll suffer. I am proud to stand up for animals, and I know our membership is behind us – when will Co-op listen?”
The motion for the Co-op to adopt the BCC was put forward by Co-op members from animal charity The Humane League UK at the supermarket’s AGM in Manchester in May. The motion was passed with a 96% margin, however the Co-op board refused to stop selling fast-growing Frankenchickens.
Aaron Parr, a Senior Campaigner with The Humane League UK and Co-op member who proposed the motion said: “I am thrilled that our campaign to give chickens better lives has taken on a life of its own, and that so many Co-op members are refusing to be ignored. Tens of millions of Frankenchickens are being farmed and killed to profit our Co-op, and the membership will not settle for anything less than justice. The protest in Manchester shows the appetite for change, and the Co-op board should count on this campaign going on for as long as animal cruelty is sold in at their stores. Ethical retail cannot involve breeding Frankenchickens.”
Actor and campaigner Peter Egan also narrated the investigation video and supported the Co-op campaign. He said: “Dozens of strong-minded Co-op members are taking to the streets to say no to Frankenchickens. The way these Frankenchickens are treated in Co-op’s supply chain is inexcusable, and it’s right for members to come together and fight for animals and their own democratic rights. Co-op is breeding sentient beings into lives of torment, disease and despair. No more excuses – Co-op must sign the BCC and become the ethical retailer it claims to be.”
An estimated 51 million birds supplied to Co-op each year would benefit from these improvements if the board implemented the BCC. This would make the Co-op the third UK supermarket to make the pledge, after Waitrose and M&S.
On Saturday, Co-op members protested against the supermarket’s refusal to sign the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) outside its Manchester HQ. The demonstration follows an undercover investigation which revealed the suffering of Frankenchickens on a Co-op farm and a 96% margin vote from Co-op members to adopt the BCC at the company’s May AGM.
Members of the Co-op brand wore blue and donned chicken masks, carrying home-made placards and large blood-splattered membership cards. They also submitted hundreds of messages from Co-op members and shoppers on postcards.
Hannah Dickson, a Co-op member and protest organiser said: “Co-op may claim that their members’ vote was not binding, but the members are the lifeblood of the Co-op. When 96% of voters call for the supermarket to improve chicken welfare we expect something to be done. We voted for change expecting that deformed, sick and dying Frankenchickens would no longer be tolerated. Giving the birds more space is good, but these chickens have misery hardwired into their DNA; even in perfect conditions they’ll suffer. I am proud to stand up for animals, and I know our membership is behind us – when will Co-op listen?”
Aaron Parr, a Senior Campaigner with The Humane League UK and Co-op member who proposed the motion said: “I am thrilled that our campaign to give chickens better lives has taken on a life of its own, and that so many Co-op members are refusing to be ignored. Tens of millions of Frankenchickens are being farmed and killed to profit our Co-op, and the
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