The life of this chicken roaming free on an Animal Welfare Approved farm in Texas stands in stark contrast to the lives of industrially farmed chickens. As chronicled in this issue, most chickens raised for food live in crowded, dark, windowless sheds, never once feeling the grass under their feet or the sun on their feathers (see stories on pages 14 and 16). AWI’s Animal Welfare Approved certification program supports humane farming systems where the animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range, not intensively confined, or otherwise subjected to cruel and unnatural conditions. Animals on Animal Welfare Approved farms are treated with compassion and dignity, and afforded the opportunity and space to fully engage with their environment.
Photo by Mike Suarez