Chicken

Chicken is one of the highest consumed meats in New Zealand. By choosing SPCA Blue Tick® high welfare approved products, you ensure the animals are farmed to SPCA's strict high welfare standards. SPCA Blue Tick® standards can only be met after confirmation by an Royal New Zealand SPCA employee or an third party auditor contracted by Royal New Zealand SPCA who has been trained to our SPCA Blue Tick® standards. Following this, the SPCA Blue Tick® will issue a 'Certificate of Approval' for the farm or the site that has successfully passed the audit.

What to look for when buying chicken products

The SPCA Blue Tick® certification logo can be found on chicken products in many supermarkets — look for your preferred retailer on our where to buy guide. Products displaying the SPCA Blue Tick® certification logo provide you with the assurance that the animals were farmed to SPCA's strict high animal welfare standards.

What do the different systems mean?

Indoor (Standard commercial)

In this method broilers are kept inside a house. Rice hulls, wood shavings, peanut shells etc. are used as litter in the floor of the house. In this system the broilers are kept in a large and open house (known as grow out houses) and they become suitable for consumption within their 5 to 6 weeks of age.

Free range (we only approved free range chicken)

Free-range chicken farming allows the birds to roam freely for a period of the day, although they are usually confined in sheds at night to protect them from predators or kept indoors if the weather is bad.

SPCA Blue Tick® approved chicken

We have developed an approval programme for the growing, handling, transport and slaughter of poultry broilers. The standards are derived from a number of sources including: current legislation, codes of practice, scientific research, international benchmarking, practical farm experience, advice from animal welfare experts and SPCA Chief Scientific Officer Dr Arnja Dale.

The SPCA Blue Tick® auditing process is broken down as follows:

  • Broiler growing

  • Catching and transport

  • Lairage and slaughter

  • Processing – primary, secondary and value added (separation of product)

If any deviation from any of the standards occurs this is a breach of legal contract and will result in a loss of accreditation. SPCA Blue Tick® standards are based on the Five Freedoms and cover all animal needs, not just the bare minimum. Find out which chicken brands are available under the SPCA Blue Tick® accreditation here.


If you have a question about the SPCA Blue Tick® accreditation, please don't hesitate to contact us for more information. Have a look at some of our more frequently asked questions to see if your query has already been answered.

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