Thinking of my first topic was a difficult one. Where to start? With everything that is going on, there is so much to say and do. It feels like there is not enough time to defend those that are persecuted and seek justice for everyone.
However, one has to start somewhere. My inauguration into activism was through voicing my concerns on animal rights, so I feel it is only fitting to begin with the most exploited land animal in the world. Chickens.
A chicken’s life on a factory farm
Back in June, I went to my first vigil. For those who are unfamiliar, vigils are when people go to bear witness to animals in their final moments before going into a slaughterhouse. For the first time, I was seeing with my own eyes, the forgotten victims behind the nugget, drumstick or burger I used to eat - I was seeing the chicken thigh attached to a body, with feathers, a head and tired, scared eyes looking back at me. This was at the last working slaughter house in London, Kedassia Poultry Ltd, where one truck a day brings in around 5000 of these terrified birds to be ‘processed’.
The truck arrived before 7am. It was cold for a summer morning and it was one of the only vehicles around. It approached with a plastic covering all sides, concealing the sight of suffering birds from any unknowing morning commuters. Once stopped, the driver then pulled it back and the truth was laid bare before us.
Most of the chickens did not have all their feathers, instead red burns and exposed sore skin covered their bodies. They were gasping for air as they could not breathe properly, stuffed into confined crates on top of each other. The birds at the top were defecating on the ones below due to the plastic cages having holes on all sides. I could barely breathe myself, as the smell of their faeces was so strong. The eerie foreboding sounds of the machines from the slaughter house were already whirring in anticipation of their arrival. While we stood with them, my attention was drawn in particular to one chicken at the bottom of the pile, who lay their head weakly on the side of the cage and looked so defeated, it broke my heart.
East London Chicken Save vigil, 20 June 2024
2400 of these individuals are killed every second for meat.
A statistic that would be hard not to shock even the most avid meat-eaters.
In the UK alone, on average 1 billion chickens are bred for food every year. This increases to a massive 60 billion chickens globally, of which two-thirds are farmed industrially. These factory-farmed chickens produced for meat, known as ‘broiler’ chickens, have been selectively bred to grow as quickly as possible. Despite looking full grown, they are in fact still chicks, slaughtered at just 6 weeks young, having grown abnormally quickly. As a result of this, their bodies cannot catch-up with their muscle and fat growth, so their legs are unable to support their weight. Many are culled prior to slaughter, due to not growing fast enough or being unable to reach their food. The injured can be left without veterinary care for days or weeks, unable to move, as their fellow inmates peck at them. As alluded to above, the redness on their bodies and lack of feathers are due to the chemical burns caused by the ammonia of their faeces which builds up throughout their lives on the factory floor. The ammonia also travels into their lungs causing respiratory problems, leading to difficulty breathing, as seen on the truck.
The impact on the environment of industrial chicken farming
Additional to the ethical concerns of factory farming from the perspective of the victims, wild animals and other elements of local ecosystems, as well as us humans, find ourselves victims to this industry too. As seen in the map below, there is a dense concentration of chicken factory farms along the River Wye catchment. 44 million birds currently surround the area, and their effluent run-off has significantly contributed to the ecological collapse of this ‘protected’ ecosystem. Once home to an abundance of species, the increase of nutrients, such as phosphates, leaching off of manure into the river has led to algal blooms which decimate aquatic life. This is due to the excess toxins the algae produce and their increased consumption of oxygen from the river which causes the levels to be depleted. Additional to removing all of the oxygen, the blooms also block sunlight from reaching other plants in deeper parts of the river which causes them to die as they are unable to photosynthesise. If this continues unchecked then the river ecosystem will collapse, ultimately leaving severe, irreversible, long-term consequences, such as the local extinction of species like fish and birds.
The impact of chickens on human health
Another major issue with regards to eating chickens, is public health and the safety of the consumer. For starters, there are the immediate risks of bacterial infections that cause food poisoning, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens. Even just last week there was a serious concern of an outbreak of salmonella from M&S breaded chicken, which meant thousands of chickens' products were pulled from the shelves and discarded so as to protect consumers. Albeit concerning, there is an even more insidious potential for zoonotic viral diseases to develop in chickens and be transmitted to humans. Diseases, which develop and thrive in filthy and unsanitary conditions of the factory farm floor, have the very likely capacity to mutate to viruses that are able to infect humans. Worryingly, the cases of bird flu (avian influenza), of a highly pathogenic variety, are continually increasing. Due to this, last week the UK government extended the lockdown starting on Monday 27 January 2025 to enhance biosecurity and housing for kept birds to include various areas across the country from Yorkshire to Suffolk and Shropshire. A mutation of the H5N1 strain, causing the virus to target humans, is a severe concern for global public health with its estimated 60% mortality rate. A recent evolution of the bird flu virus has highly concerned scientists who believe it to potentially be 1 mutation away from catastrophe.
Labour Government’s latest announcements on chicken farming
Despite this, the Labour government has recently announced their plans to relax planning regulations for chicken farmers to build larger sheds throughout the UK. This would further devastate rivers and the surrounding natural world and add to the terrifying probability of another viral pandemic. Now is the time, more than ever, to oppose the increase in animal agriculture, due to its devastating impact. Yet, those who have been entrusted to lead the way, willfully sow the seeds of our collective demise.
Cultural significance of the chicken and their ‘meat’
The main question in all of this is, why chickens? This humble bird never volunteered for this fate. Why not eagles, ostriches or doves? What is it that chickens have that must be so special that 2400 lives a second are taken for it? The answer is simple. Generic, white protein from a trusting animal we were historically able to easily coax and subdue. The human fascination with the versatility of this food source has sealed the fate of an unimaginable number of individuals. But in 2025, there are so many other delicious and nutritious plant-based sources of generic white protein that could be opted for instead, crucially coming without the added consequence of animal suffering, ecosystem destruction and public health devastation. Tempeh, seitan, tofu, pulses and countless other healthy alternative meats are delicious and do not have the same environment-destroying and health-damaging consequences as chicken meat. Not to mention that no animals are harmed in their supply, which I think we can all agree, is the most important outcome.
The fate of the forgotten victims
What pains me the most is that the chickens I saw back in June are all long dead. And 5000 more have been killed every day on that site since. The scale of the problem is absolutely inconceivable, and predictions show that animal consumption is on the rise. If deep down you know that is the wrong direction for us to be heading in as a society, then you can be a part of the solution.
So, next time you fancy adding some generic white protein to your meal, please consider reaching for the block of tofu instead. Your body will thank you as well as the world, and most importantly, the chickens.
East London Chicken Save vigil, 28 January 2025
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