Britain may run out of space to farm chickens

Thursday, January 2, 2014

In Britain, chicken is taking off. The Telegraph reports that chicken is expected to account for over half of all meat consumed in 2014. But unless the government can speed up the planning process for new poultry farms, Britain will be forced to import and abandon the now-popular "Buy British" trend.

Andrew Large, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, complains that lengthy waits for permits have derailed the building of new poultry houses. "Decisions that should take 13 weeks are taking more than 18 months."

Perhaps the "Buy British" movement has been working a little too well. In February, retail giant Tesco pledged to buy 100 per cent British chickens in the wake of the horsemeat scandal. Consumers jumped on board and now 70 per cent of chickens purchased in the UK are locally raised.

As Large says, somewhat ominously, "Buy British has consequences." BF