END preprogrammed suffering!
Even though there are more and more animal and climate-friendly alternatives to animal products, the “orange giants” – Coop and Migros – continue to fuel the demand for products derived from animal suffering. The relentless expansion of industrial poultry farming and intensive chicken fattening — exemplified by the Micarna mega-slaughterhouse project in Saint-Aubin — is a shocking example of this. Up to 40 million chickens will be slaughtered each year in Saint-Aubin, which is equivalent to 80 chickens per minute — day and night.
The number of chickens slaughtered has nearly doubled over the past 20 years. A total of 80 million chickens are slaughtered every year in Switzerland …
… a true disaster for animal welfare! Fast-growing strains of broiler chickens live only 30 days. They gain weight so rapidly that they can barely stand up by the end of their lives. Many fast-growing chickens develop cardiovascular diseases because their hearts can no longer adequately supply blood to their bodies. Between 2 and 4 percent of these animals die even before being slaughtered.
With a market share of nearly 80 percent, Coop and Migros bear a critical responsibility for this alarming development. The two giant retailers often boast about their animal welfare commitments. Yet, when it comes to chicken meat – which is in high demand – the importance of animal welfare seems to be overlooked. In Switzerland, chickens are given only the space of a single A4 piece of paper to live, and fast-growing breeds found here are the same as those abroad.
While 85 percent of cows have access to the outdoors, only 8 percent of chickens ever see the light of day during their lives. Moreover, 92 percent of all chickens belong to so-called “high-performance breeds”, where suffering is genetically preprogrammed. Coop and Migros have the power to stop this trend. Instead, they continue to fuel it with misleading advertising. In doing so, they demonstrate how little they truly care about animal welfare. In our view, enough is enough!
That is why we demand the END of preprogrammed animal suffering!
With the European Chicken Commitment, more and more companies worldwide are committing to abandoning high-performance breeds. It is high time that Coop and Migros follow this example and fulfil their role as leaders in animal welfare.
Our demands
1. The adoption of slower-growing breeds
We call on Coop and Migros to stop using fast-growing broiler hybrids completely by the end of 2026, and to replace them with more robust, slower-growing breeds that meet the requirements of the European Chicken Commitment.
Justification: With fast-growing and high-performance breeds, animal suffering is preprogrammed. These chickens gain weight so rapidly that they develop severe health issues within just a few weeks. Such cruelty is incompatible with the principle of animal dignity.
2. No promotion of problematic products
We demand that Coop and Migros completely stop promoting problematic products by the end of 2024. This includes advertising and campaigns for products from intensive chicken farming. This requirement should also apply to imported products.
Justification: From both ethical and environmental standpoints, it is clear that we must change our consumption habits. Through their targeted sales promotions, major retailers significantly contribute to the stagnation, or even increase, in the consumption of animal-derived products.
3. Increased transparency
We ask Coop and Migros to provide transparent reporting on the selection of chicken breeds used. We also call for the development and publication of a strategy detailing how their entire supply chains will meet the criteria of the European Chicken Commitment by 2026.
Justification: It is difficult for consumers to grasp the life led by the animal before it became a product. Misleading labels like SST (“Particularly Animal-Friendly Housing System”) create a false reality, which is why greater transparency is essential.
4. Closer cooperation
We ask Coop and Migros to establish regular exchanges with animal welfare organisations. This should include meetings for dialogue, as well as the implementation of a feedback mechanism through which these organisations can express their concerns about animal welfare practices.
Justification: Engaging in dialogue with major retailers is extremely challenging. It is crucial for Coop and Migros to involve all key stakeholders, especially if they are serious about their commitments to animal welfare.
To pressure Coop and Migros, we need your help NOW! By the end of October, we need as many people as possible to join us AGAINST preprogrammed suffering and FOR “Animal Dignity NOW!”
Thank you so much for your support!
Animal Dignity NOW!
As part of the initiative to abolish factory farming in Switzerland, Sentience launched the “Animal Dignity NOW!” campaign in 2022. Under the slogan “Turning Promises into Reality”, over 11,000 people raised their voices, urging major retailers to take their responsibilities seriously and to improve animal welfare standards. We demanded clear targets for reducing the sale of animal products, especially those from industrial poultry farming. Since then, no substantial progress has been made.
That is why, together with Greenpeace and FOUR PAWS, we have decided to continue the “Animal Dignity NOW!” campaign. This time, we are asking for more than just vague promises. The ongoing expansion of industrial poultry farming represents an ethical disaster that must be stopped immediately. We are, again, calling for clear targets to reduce the sale of animal products, as well as an immediate halt to the promotion of products that disrespect animals and the climate.