What M&S move to slow-growing poultry means for farmers

Capitalising on the growing consumer awareness of ethically reared meat, M&S has announced plans to be the first major UK retailer to sell only slower reared fresh chicken.

The move will be completed by the autumn of 2022, according to Steve McLean, M&S head of agriculture and fisheries.

The retailer’s existing Oakham brand was launched in 2006 with lower stocking densities that provided 20% more space for birds to roam.

Objects were added to enrich environments within sheds, allowing birds to express natural, pecking behaviour.

See also: Can slower-grown breeds work in the UK poultry market?

Daylight was expected to provide at least 3% of the lighting in airy barns and a multi-grain diet was offered to help mimic a more natural diet and improve gut health.

The move was significant back in 2006 as M&S became the first retailer to introduce these elements to its standards for all of its fresh chicken.

The new Oakham Gold range will keep the same environment features but introduces a slower grown breed that expresses natural behaviours much better, Mr McLean says.

The major difference is a longer production cycle, which extends from 36 days to 49. This gives the bird opportunity to mature, and in taste tests meat has shown an improved flavour profile.

What has driven the change?

There are 7,211 farms in the UK producing livestock for M&S after the retailer decided to switch to UK-only poultrymeat.

“We looked at our production standards and how we could meet the Better Chicken Commitment – we were the first retailer to sign up in 2017,” Mr McLean says.

The Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) is a poultry industry-led initiative launched to urge retailers to procure all chicken to higher welfare criteria by 2026.

Although the commitment has a 2026 deadline, M&S opted to move more quickly to achieve the its target of delivering a better end product with improved animal welfare and husbandry.

Partnering with 2 Sisters Food Group, M&S has been trialling the new, slower growing breed – Hubbard JA787 – over 18 months.

The stocking density, feed, daylight and enrichment standards have not changed. The only difference is a slower growing breed, explains Mr McLean, who hopes the switch will improve the lives of millions of broiler chickens in the supply chain.

Feedback and results?

“We’ve had great results in terms of the health and wellbeing of the birds. I have visited a lot of farms and everyone says they are much easier to manage,” Mr McLean says.

“We haven’t got the same challenges that we have with faster growing birds, and we believe it delivers a much tastier eating bird.”

Generally suppliers have reported that the JA787 birds are more robust. Greater mobility, allied with the lower stocking rates, means there are fewer challenges with pododermatitis and hock marking, compared with conventionally reared birds.

There is only a marginal increase in the cost of rearing the birds, Mr McLean says, but insists that exact figures are commercially sensitive.

Animal feed sustainability is another key consideration. Because the drive for growth rates is less pressured, the longer production period has given M&S the opportunity to look at more novel diet inclusions.

Less soya is required, so M&S is looking at a number of options. This move is in line with an overall drive to use more sustainable food sources and follows the removal of soya from all dairy rations in M&S herds in October 2020.

The diet will continue to be multi-grain, because the policy has resonated well with the retailer’s customers.

“We also know that it works well for the birds, but we will be reducing the more challenging, raw materials, and addressing the sustainability credentials at the same time,” Mr McLean says.

How are M&S suppliers affected?

The change affects all of the retailer’s fresh indoor-reared chicken, which is just under half a million birds a week, but it doesn’t affect the organic or free-range chicken.

“A significant number of birds are affected, and we are now in the process of building the breeding stock to then roll out to commercial production.”

The additional space requirements, and the fact that birds are on farm for longer, means M&S will have to expand its operation to ensure target production is met.

Expansion will see operations extended on to farms in East Anglia and Scotland to eventually cover all fresh bird production.

The large-scale transition, requiring an increase in both breeding and commercial flocks, means the changeover cannot be achieved inside a year.

For that reason the switch that has already begun for producers will be phased over the next 15-18 months for final delivery by autumn 2022.

What the industry is saying

The Oakham Gold brand will be labelled as RSPCA Assured, which is the charity’s dedicated farm animal welfare assurance scheme.

The organisation has thrown down the gauntlet, urging other retailers to follow suit and back the Better Chicken Commitment.

“We are delighted that M&S has made this fantastic commitment to animal welfare, which will make them the leading retailer in the UK on chicken welfare,” says Chris Sherwood, chief executive at RSPCA.

The most commonly used breeds of broiler chickens have been specially bred and genetically selected over the years to grow very fast in a short space of time.

“By simply switching to using slower growing, higher welfare breeds of chicken, retailers can make an enormous difference to the lives and welfare of millions of chickens reared in this country every year for their meat,” he says.

Setting an example

“It’s a landmark achievement for animal welfare and a formidable step from M&S, which we hope will set a leading example for others in the sector,” adds Mr Sherwood.

Tracey Jones, director of food business at Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) also hails the example set by M&S.

“The first retailer to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment, the first to start transitioning supply, and the first to roll out entry-tier product on shelf with its Oakham Gold fresh chicken.

“While we are pleased to recognise M&S for demonstrating its continued commitment to the highest animal welfare standards, Waitrose is currently the only other British retailer to have signed up to the BCC.”

Brand buy-in

Although there has been great traction in the food service sector with major brands like KFC, Nando’s and Burger King signing up, transition and roll out is still slow to materialise.

“For companies committed to introducing the new higher welfare standards for their chicken, time is ticking – much needs to be done to meet the 2026 deadline,” she adds.

“Parent flocks need to be laid down and scaled up, contracts need to be signed, product offerings may need to change and the consumer needs to be brought on board.”

What breeders say

Paul van Boekholt, business manager for northern Europe at Hubbard, says the move by M&S will require changes in management.

“The birds are easier to grow because they are slower growing, but there are some specific things that have to be taken into consideration,” he says.

There are fewer broilers/sq m, fewer cycles over the year and feed consumption increases, making it more costly to produce the chickens.

It is therefore important that M&S  explains this carefully to their customers – what they are changing, and why they will probably have to pay a bit more for this higher animal welfare.

Because of the reduced stocking density to 30kg/sq m, farmers will have fewer birds in the same house, which will also have to be reflected in the price paid.

“The diet is slightly different because the birds live longer and grow slower, so they have marginally altered needs compared with fast growing birds,” adds Mr van Boekholt. “It’s not rocket science, it’s just fine tuning what the producers already do.  

“Last year several reports were published by Scotland’s Rural University College (SRUC), the Farm Animal Institute (FAI) and the RSPCA to confirm that the activity of the birds is higher, the animal welfare scores are higher and with the millions already produced this way in the Netherlands, we have seen a reduction in antibiotics.

“The farmers are also really proud to show what they are doing and it makes it more attractive to younger generations, getting them interested in working in this industry.”