Animal Welfare

Welfare practices are governed by nationally recognised standards and codes, ensuring birds are cared for at every stage of production. These guidelines are carefully crafted to protect the health and wellbeing of chickens, while promoting practical, science-backed husbandry techniques tailored to a range of production systems. 

Animal welfare is also a central pillar of the Australian Chicken Meat Industry Sustainability Framework, reflecting the sector’s commitment to continuous improvement. Key industry priorities include enhancing animal care, maintaining robust welfare standards, and driving advancement through research, innovation, and on-farm management. The industry actively collaborates with researchers, veterinarians, and regulators to ensure welfare practices are continually updated to align with the latest scientific evidence and community expectations.

Meat chickens in Australia are raised from elite pedigree stock, which have been specially selected by expert international genetics companies over many decades for a range of positive welfare traits, such as strong physical conformation, healthy body systems, and ability to achieve their potential growth. 

Meat chickens are housed in controlled environments where they are comfortable and are cared for by experienced industry personnel who understand their needs and behaviours. The birds have access to nutritious and carefully selected feed and clean water, and can express their natural behaviours, such as scratching, dust bathing and wing flapping.

Australian meat chicken housing and management are governed by strict government standards and Model Codes of Practice. Around 92 per cent of meat chickens are raised under independently assessed animal welfare accreditation schemes, such as the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme and Free-Range Egg and Poultry Australia (FREPA), which require ongoing compliance with detailed welfare criteria. These regulations and accreditations apply from farming through to processing, with processing facilities subject to rigorous animal welfare requirements, continuous internal monitoring, and regular external audits.