Changing agri-chicken for net zero. Findings from an industry workshop

Abstract

‘Changing Chicken for Net Zero’ was a Scoping Project funded by the UKRI Agri-food for Net-Zero network (AFN+) it ran Sept 2023 to June 2024. This report discusses findings from a research workshop with stakeholders in the UK poultry industry held in December 2023. The workshop explored participants beliefs and practices linked to awareness of engaging with net zero using participatory research methods. The aim was to advance understanding of how this group understood opportunities for action, both their own and others, within the food system to support the UK government’s 2022 Net Zero Strategy for the agri-food system. The findings from the workshop reveal i) how the industry speaks of operating amidst increasingly negative public perceptions, despite making what workshop participants viewed as considerable efforts towards sustainable practices and net zero; ii) we observed scepticism towards the very meaning of ‘net zero’; iii) views that the future of commercial poultry production is threatened by growing environmental, labour, and welfare concerns, whilst at the same time chicken production and consumption are expected to increase; iv) despite industry research on issues like biosecurity, sourcing of feed, feed crop production, pollution, and waste, the intricate and interconnected nature of the industry makes it challenging for poultry producers to determine effective strategies for change or transition to net-zero; v) efforts to reduce carbon emissions require concerted effort from industry stakeholders, policymakers, consumers, and the public to transition towards more sustainable practices. Analysing these findings we recognise that the conversations generated by particular workshop activities reflect how actions to meet net zero are currently known, understood and envisaged. The conversations also reflect where beliefs lie about what changes appear hard to envisage as feasible. And that while regulatory frameworks and incentives for adopting environmentally friendly technologies are critical for driving innovation and aligning the sector with net zero goals, a commitment to large-scale transformation and visions for this poultry system are essential to establish and what part everyone will play, are essential. On paper this future is easy to envision and argue for, but it was not regarded as achievable in current poultry business models where distributed system-level interventions, involving industry, food retail and government actors, are rare. This explains why, when asked to envision poultry systems of the future, visions tended to be related to farm-level technology, circular farming and efficiency gains, as opposed to bolder macro-transformation.

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ORCID for Emma Roe: orcid.org/0000-0003-4674-2133

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