Farmers are reacting in a mixed way to Hugh's Chicken Run, the programme being screened nightly on Channel 4, about chicken production systems.

The British Poultry Council has come out and said that they think it is misrepresenting the high standards in modern British chicken farming.

"Poultry houses are scientifically designed and equipped to ensure the ventilation and other needs of the chickens are properly provided for.

"It is highly significant that the temporary premises used to rear chickens in this experiment failed to obtain Assured Chicken Production certification, and the apparently poor welfare outcome is not unexpected."

But writing on the FWiSpace discussion forums, some farmers have been more supportive of the show.

Freeranger said he hoped the show would remove some of the tarnish from poultry farming's image as well as helping to push sales of more welfare friendly birds.

"I think (or certainly hope) the real losers in this are going to be the supermarkets. By refusing to participate from the beginning and also refusing to go on Jamie Oliver's programme they look as though they have something to hide."

Animal welfare

Moore2 said: "Even if programmes like these only shift people from £2 chickens to £2.99 chickens that should be enough to make strides in animal welfare and also margins for farmers, processors, and supermarkets."

Hareley farmer added: "I saw Hugh being interviewed on Richard & Judy. He mitigated the industry's reluctance to talk to him by saying they were frightened of losing their supermarket contracts, which I can understand.

"I think that if in the long run he can persuade the public that chicken should be more of a luxury product it can only be a good thing."

Confusion or discussion?

A number of posters indicated that the programme raised as many questions as it answered.

Courier asked whether viewers would be told how much it was costing to rear birds in the different systems.

This led to the following post by Jacobus: "What I would also be interested to know, given that the majority of processing-retail costs (slaughter plucking packing packaging transport chill cabinet space) would be identical per chicken whatever its source, does a much higher percentage of the retail price end up in the pockets of the producers or is much of it syphoned off by the retailers?"

To read more farmer comments visit the forums.