Document type article published in Le Monde (subscribers only)
Author: Mathilde Gérard
Summary: Is there light on the horizon for chickens raised in the dark? The poultry industry may well be about to reach a tipping point towards improving the attention paid to the welfare of poultry. The Leclerc supermarket brand's announcement on Friday 4 September that it would respect the criteria in the European Chicken Commitment (ECC, a set of standards for the breeding and slaughter of chickens that is the result of the committed work of some thirty animal protection groups) follows on the heels of a series of commitments by other companies in France: Monoprix, Carrefour, Auchan, Système U, Les Mousquetaires, etc. In just over a year, almost all French supermarkets have signed the document, which aims to improve standards in conventional breeding practice. France has taken the lead in Europe on this matter," says Lucille Bellegarde, from Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). "The large number of distributors that are involved provides suppliers with the confidence to make the necessary investments."
