More chickens are farmed for meat each year in New Zealand than any other land animal (approximately 120 million).

Around the world, the same conventional, fast-growing breeds have been used for chicken production. The welfare problems of these fast-growing meat chickens are well documented.

Slower-growing breeds take longer to reach market weight and typically require greater investment to raise, which can increase the cost of production and, ultimately, the price of chicken products. Slower-growing chickens are not currently available in New Zealand

For slower-growing breeds to become commercially and economically viable in New Zealand, several factors will need to align. This includes access to suitable genetics, investment and commitment from across the supply chain, and sufficient consumer demand for higher-welfare products.

Creating higher-welfare options is only part of the challenge. For meaningful change to occur, consumers also need to support those options when they make purchasing decisions.

SPCA Certified has helped drive incremental and meaningful improvements in animal welfare across New Zealand. However, some of the welfare changes needed to address certain animal welfare challenges require more than incremental improvements.

In some cases – such as for higher-welfare breeds of chicken – a desired welfare outcome may require substantial changes across an entire supply chain. New equipment, different farming systems, investment in infrastructure, regulatory change, access to suitable genetics, consumer demand, and retailer support may all be needed before change becomes commercially and economically viable.

These are challenges that no single organisation can solve alone.

The SPCA Welfare Plus+ Programme has been established to bring together SPCA's certification and advocacy expertise to help create a practical, commercial & economic viable pathway towards the Welfare Plus+ standard. Through collaboration with farmers, producers, retailers, food businesses, government, and consumers, the programme aims to overcome barriers that are preventing higher-welfare systems from becoming mainstream.

We believe meaningful and lasting change requires more than a commitment to an outcome. It requires a realistic plan to achieve it, supported by long-term investment, collaboration, and demand for higher-welfare products and practices.

Through SPCA Welfare Plus+ Partnerships, we will work with organisations that are genuinely committed to driving significant welfare improvements and helping create the conditions needed for those improvements to succeed at scale.

BurgerFuel is our inaugural SPCA Welfare Plus Partner and they have been committed to animal welfare being the first to have 100% free range chicken in 2014. SPCA is initially partnering with BurgerFuel to test this approach and explore how collaborative action across the supply chain can help accelerate progress towards higher animal welfare standards.