Perdue Farms vows to improve animal welfare standards

Perdue Farms, the fourth-largest U.S. poultry company, this week announced changes in its animal welfare practices that it says will make its facilities more humane and allow its chickens to live better lives. Recent improvements include giving animals more space, installing more windows in chicken houses and moving to controlled-atmosphere stunning (putting chickens to sleep) before slaughter. Perdue said its commitment “indicates a sizeable shift away from industry standards and toward addressing customer and consumer concerns around animal welfare, including issues related to fast growth.”