By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Getting the facts out on Canadian chicken farms and negating misconceptions

Mar 19, 2018 | 4:21 PM

LETHBRIDGE –   Chicken Farmers of Canada want to get the facts straight about this country’s favourite meat.
 
The reason is simple –  a recent survey showed consumers harbour a lot of misconceptions about the raising and sustainability of chickens.
 
A recent Leger survey (1,500 Canadians were surveyed on-line between Nov 13 and 23, 2017) found 90% of those asked place chicken among the top three meats they eat most often –  beef comes in at 72% and pork at 52%.
 
However, the majority of respondents were not aware that Canadian chickens are raised without hormones or steroids and have been raised that way for more than 50-years. 
 
Consumers were also not aware that 90% of Canada’s 2800 chicken farms are family owned.
 
On top of that, animal welfare standards apply to all chicken farms across Canada with third-party auditing of the standards. Canadian chicken farms also have the lowest greenhouse gas emissions among all livestock, making chicken the most sustainable meat.
 
Information related to Alberta chicken farms is equally impressive. In spite of the fact that Alberta leads Canada in beef production, 51% of Albertans eat chicken most often.
 
The importance behind getting the facts out on chicken farming stems from the fact that the industry sustains 87,000 jobs across the country and adds $6.8 Billion to the GDP.