Abel & Cole pioneers new rainforest-friendly Free Range Chicken
Soya is a standard ingredient in chicken feed and is the major source of protein for growth, but concern is mounting that the widespread use of soya is contributing to the deforestation of the Amazon.
To find a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative, Abel & Cole teamed up with their Devon chicken farmers, Peter and Sue. Peter is an expert in animal nutrition and passionate nature lover. He was inspired to create a soya free feed after visiting the Amazon and seeing the impact of deforestation first hand.
Peter explains “A chicken requires protein to build up its vital amino acids, the building blocks of life, particularly during its first three weeks. Protein in chicken feed comes mainly in the form of soya, GM-soya comes from North America, GM-free soya in large quantities and at a commercial price comes from Brazil. To make way for the soya crop, large chunks of rainforest are wiped out. “
“The Amazon rainforest is one of the most bio-diverse regions on earth. It is home to nearly a tenth of the world’s mammal population and a staggering 15% of the world’s known land-based plant species, not to mention the thousands of people who live there” Peter says.
When Peter returned to the UK from the Amazon, he was contacted by one of our product hunters, Martin Humphreys. “We were hoping to be able to offer our customers an ethical but affordable option when it came to chicken, so were looking into the best possible free-range birds reared in Britain,” says Martin. “Peter mentioned his project to develop a soya free feed,” Martin continues, “and we said ‘Go for it!’”
Peter’s background is animal nutrition and he has worked with the country’s biggest feed producer, so he was well placed to develop a new feed himself.
“We supported Peter throughout the trials and he’s been able to convert all of the chickens on his Devon farm to this rainforest-friendly-feed,” says Martin.
Not only is the new feed rainforest-friendly, it is rich with British ingredients. “We use a lot of British beans and peas in the feed, as well as rape, sunflower and wheat,” Peter explains. “If you cannot afford to buy an organic chicken, we feel this is the absolute best alternative both from an ethical standpoint and as far as taste goes,” Martin says.
Like their organic siblings, Abel & Cole’s free-range chickens spend their first 28 days in a warm shed - then they move into spacious arcs, with easy access to the outdoors. Lastly, in addition to their feed being rainforest-friendly, it’s completely free of additives, antibiotics and growth promoters.
“These really are happy, healthy and extremely tasty birds,” adds Martin.