Under the The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, which transposes Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 from the EU, it was strictly forbidden to lift chickens by their legs during transport and related operations. However, despite this clear provision, the Government permitted this harmful practice in its codes of practice. We challenged this in Court. 

However, after we challenged it in Court, the government proceeded to dilute the law instead of amending the codes of practice.

In late July 2025, the government introduced an amendment to exempt chickens and turkeys from the legal protections afforded to them by the law. This is the first dilution of animal welfare legislation post Brexit.

The amendment has made it legal to catch these birds by both legs, even though there is clear evidence that this causes suffering and upright catching is better for their welfare. Prior to tabling the amendment, the Government stated “We recognise that there is much evidence to suggest that upright catching by the body is the optimum handling method to directly minimise welfare harms” but went on to cite concerns that a transition to upright catching may not be feasible in commercial settings.

But we are fighting back.

For decades, despite legislation prohibiting the practice, the government’s codes of practice for chickens bred for meat and eggs explicitly allowed handling chickens by their legs. In light of this, The Animal Law Foundation began legal proceedings against the government’s codes of practice. We were given permission to proceed with the judicial review by the High Court in July. The judge also gave us permission to amend our grounds to challenge the lawfulness of the consultation and change in law to permit the handling of chickens by their legs.

In August 2025, we amended our grounds and are now challenging the way the UK government diluted the law. We argue that the consultation exercise, which paved the way for the change in law, was unfair.  On 19 September 2025, the High Court granted permission to proceed on our amended grounds as well. 

Our court date is early February. 

We are writing to express our sincere gratitude for your overwhelming support in our initiative to end the practice of handling chickens by their legs.

Your generous contributions have brought us closer to our initial goal of raising £5,000 to support our legal initiative aimed at ending this inhumane practice that causes chickens significant pain and suffering. This wouldn't be possible without your belief in a kinder future for animals.

We've sent a pre-action letter outlining our case and are continuing to urge the government to update their codes of practice to align with the law. 

Litigation can be unpredictable and as such we are constantly monitoring our case to ensure we are approaching it in the best possible way to ensure we get the result we want. We will keep you updated with developments as we proceed. 

Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of millions of chickens!

Here's how you can help:

Donate: Every contribution, big or small, gets us closer to our goal. Please consider donating here. 

Spread the Word: Share this update and our initiative with your friends and family. Let's raise awareness about this critical issue.

Thank you again for your unwavering support. Together, we can create a world where all animals, including chickens, are treated with respect and compassion.

Sincerely,

The Animal Law Foundation Team