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It's the modern-day story of David and Goliath with celebrity chef and animal welfare campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, fighting supermarket giant Tesco in a bid to support chicken welfare. We SmartPlaneteers have eagerly followed the saga and are not happy to report on the latest: Tesco's shareholders have voted against Fearnley-Whittingstall's proposed resolution that the chickens on Tesco's shelves should be reared according to RSPCA standards at a minimum.
Following Fearnley-Whittingstall's Chicken Run series, his Chicken Out! campaign gained massive support and supermarkets saw the sales of free-range chickens rise.
But Hugh decided to take it a step further. He bought a share in Tesco, which gave him access to the Annual General Meeting, and put forward a resolution that Tesco should only sell high-welfare chickens. The resolution needed the approval of at least 75 per cent of the shareholders to be passed, but only won just under ten per cent of the vote at Friday's AGM. This is upsetting news.
I am happy to hear that various campaign groups like Animal Concern Advice Line have joined the HFW camp and suggested that Tesco put up cameras in its chicken farms. That way, Tesco's customers can see for themselves how the chickens they buy have been reared. Clarence Court eggs has had a 'hen cam' for ages and I really think it's a great way of of keeping both producers and consumers on their toes.
30 June 2008 07:39pm
Dont count your chickens before they hatch when it comes to big business. I take my hat to Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall campaign on chicken's. For Tesco it's a chicken on the run story they will run it as long as it's cheap and makes them a whole heap of money. Pity your average british farmer earns less then £15,000 a year and Tesco Chief of executive rakes in a massive £150,000!!!!
01 July 2008 12:54am
Resolution 17 was not added to Sharevote (the online voting system for shareholders). With so little time to post votes it's no wonder Hugh only got 10% of the votes. :(
20 July 2008 09:04pm
Hugh, I really admire your overall philosophy but haw can you justify eating meat. You seem so caring about animals yet are prepared to kill them to eat them. As a talented chef you are aware of the aleternatives availabel yet continue to justify the killing of animals to eat. Wyy?
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