Joyce takes on RSPCA’s ‘Chicken Challenge’

Joyce Watson AM has been ‘locked up’ to help raise awareness of some farm animals’ living conditions.
To mark Farm Animal Week (29 September – 5 October), the Mid and West AM took on RSPCA Cymru’s ‘Chicken Challenge’.
On Thursday (2 October), the animal welfare organisation erected a true-to-scale chicken run outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. Mrs Watson volunteered to be caged to show members of the public the lack of space that millions of chickens have to live in.
Speaking after her release, Joyce said:
“Wales has a rich and proud agricultural heritage – but, sadly, there are some premises where chickens have less space than a single A4 piece of paper.
“I spent only a few minutes in the coop – caged hens, and millions of chickens reared for meat, spend their whole lives in a space that small.”
RSPCA said more meat chickens, known as broilers, are farmed in Britain than any other type of farmed animal, other than fish – but most of them are reared to animal welfare standards the charity believes are not good enough.
Joyce Watson is a member of the Environment and Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly for Wales.