East Yorkshire Poultry Business Launches New Higher Welfare Range

A Middleton on the Wolds based family poultry business has launched a new range of higher welfare chicken that is available exclusively online.

Soanes Poultry has responded to customer demands for high quality chicken that has more room to roam than standard chicken and has launched a new website to sell direct to consumers.

Director of Sales and Marketing, Ben Lee explains the rationale for the new range: "We have been supplying Higher Welfare chicken to trade customers in London and wanted a way to satisfy consumer demand for this chicken nationwide.

"We worked closely with Leven based web designers, Harper Creative to launch a shopping portal as part of our new website and we're delighted with the outcome."

The Higher Welfare chickens live in light, airy barns with natural light and ventilation and have 20% more room than Soanes Poultry's standard chickens and enrichment items to stimulate their natural behaviours.

Claire Wright, Managing Director of Clive Soanes Broilers, who rear the chickens, explains how the Higher Welfare standards are assured: "We use the AssureWel welfare outcome assessment protocol for chicken to help us to assess the welfare of our flocks.

"As part of these standardised assessments, we look at a number of key health and welfare outcomes for chickens, such as the birds' gait score, their interaction with enrichment items, and other active behaviours such as running, sparring and wing flapping."