{"id":25432,"date":"2025-03-25T12:43:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T10:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=25432"},"modified":"2025-03-25T12:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T10:43:08","slug":"european-chicken-commitment-costs-and-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/european-chicken-commitment-costs-and-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"European Chicken Commitment: costs and impacts"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the ECC standards, CIWF aims to improve poultry welfare further. But at what cost to producers and consumers?<\/em><\/p>\n

Animal rights NGO Compassion in World Farming<\/em> (CIWF), committed to protecting farm animal welfare, has launched the European Chicken Commitment (ECC), a protocol calling for improved standards in rearing broiler chickens<\/strong>. It sets stricter requirements than current EU legislation, such as the use of slow-growing genotypes<\/strong>, lower stocking densities<\/strong> and adopting environmental enrichment<\/strong> tools to improve animal welfare.<\/p>\n

Many European companies, including retailers, restaurants and catering services, have joined, committing to higher standards across the poultry supply chain<\/strong> (fresh, frozen and processed) by 2026. However, some crucial questions remain unanswered: Will it be economically viable for companies to comply with the ECC standards?<\/strong> And most importantly, will it positively impact the environment by reducing the poultry sector’s environmental footprint, or will it\u00a0increase<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0resource consumption<\/strong>? Finally, what will be the impact on total chicken production in Europe?<\/p>\n

The real impact of ECC standards<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

To answer these fundamental questions, the Association of Poultry Processors and Retailers in the EU (AVEC<\/strong>) commissioned an impact study<\/a> last year on the additional costs<\/strong> and potential consequences<\/strong> of a full conversion of current European chicken production to ECC standards<\/strong>. The study, carried out independently by RSK ADAS Ltd (ADAS<\/strong>), a UK-based consultancy specialising in agriculture, examines the differences between standard and ECC-compliant production in detail. The analysis focuses on key metrics such as cost per kg of meat<\/strong>, impact on greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong>, water consumption<\/strong> and the need for new housing space<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0study’s results are far from encouraging.\u00a0The ECC imposes stricter standards than current EU legislation<\/strong>, including a maximum stocking density of 30 kg\/m2 and the use of slow-growing genotypes. Compared to standard production, this would\u00a0increase production costs by 21.9% per animal and 37.5% per kg of meat<\/strong><\/span>. Feed and water consumption would increase by 34.5% and 34.6% per kg of meat<\/strong>, corresponding to an additional 7.3 million tonnes of feed and 12.44 million cubic metres of water per year.<\/p>\n

Poultry meat production in Europe would fall by 44%,<\/strong> leading to massive imports of poultry products from third countries<\/strong> with significantly lower production and animal welfare standards than in Europe.<\/p>\n

The environmental impact<\/strong> would not be positive either: according to the study, greenhouse gas emissions would increase by 24.4% per kg of meat produced<\/strong>. To maintain the current level of chicken production in the EU would require 9,692 new farms (25.5 million additional m\u00b2) and an estimated investment of 8.24 billion euros.<\/strong><\/p>\n

ECC Standard: “Significant economic and environmental impact”<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

As we have seen while adopting ECC could further improve animal welfare<\/strong> standards, it would also entail exorbitant additional costs<\/strong> and negative impacts on production and the environment<\/strong> through increased resource consumption. This study highlights these aspects in calculating the cost per kilogram of meat<\/strong>, unlike previous analyses, which often underestimate the real impact of moving to ECC standards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These effects on production would inevitably lead to higher prices for chicken meat<\/strong>, potentially excluding a large proportion of consumers, but also to a significant increase in imports from third countries with lower animal welfare standards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“The ECC aims to improve animal welfare, but it is crucial to recognise that these improvements have significant economic, social and environmental implications<\/strong>,” says Gert-Jan Oplaat<\/strong>, President of AVEC: “We know that chicken consumption in the EU is expected to increase over the next 10 years, so consumers should be able to choose products with higher animal welfare,<\/strong> and a higher cost if they wish, but conventional and affordable options must remain available to all”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The association, chaired by Oplaat, promotes the development of production-based animal welfare indicators<\/strong> based on scientific and objective criteria<\/strong> to assess real farming conditions. It also supports effective farm management, adequate farmer training,<\/strong>\u00a0and a regulatory framework that encourages progress through concrete and achievable targets<\/strong> for producers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the ECC standards, CIWF aims to improve poultry welfare further. But at what cost to producers and consumers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25435,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[675],"tags":[6513,6512,6515,6510,6514,6511],"class_list":["post-25432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-welfare-en","tag-ciwf-en","tag-compassion-in-world-farming-en","tag-gert-jan-oplaat-en","tag-poultry-farming","tag-rsk-adas-ltd-en","tag-standard-ecc-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t