Danish city wants to stop buying “turbo chickens” to end animal cruelty

The term refers to birds that are fed and fattened up so fast that their legs can’t keep up with the growth of their bodies

Local politicians have put forward a resolution proposal to the Frederiksberg municipal council, which would prohibit the public procurement of so-called “turbo chickens”. The aim of the proposal is to do more about ending animal abuse for profit.

If adopted, the resolution would make Frederiksberg the first municipality in the Danish region of Zealand to ban the procurement of these birds for consumption. If you are wondering what “turbo chickens” are, this term refers to poultry that has been bred and raised in such a way that their bodies grow at a much faster rate than their legs and organs do.

This causes unnecessary suffering to the animals, and many are reported to die from cardiac arrests because their hearts simply can’t keep up with the pressure on their metabolism. As an example, a “turbo chicken” could grow in weight from 50 to 2,000 grams in just about a month.

Animal abuse for profit

Lotte Kofoed, a councillor behind the ban proposal, has stated that some 40% of the chicken meat bought by the Frederiksberg Municipality to supply nursing homes and public institutions comes from “turbo chickens”.

In her opinion, this number may even be lower than reality because not all suppliers can account for the origin of their meat.

Animal cruelty can never be justified. I hope everyone in Frederiksberg will support this, stated Mrs Kofoed, as quoted by Kobehavn Liv.

Last year, a broad majority in the Danish Parliament entered into an agreement to stop the purchase of turbo chickens in all state institutions and to work actively for an EU ban. Yet, at the same time, the practice is still widespread at the municipal level in Denmark. That’s why the proposal also hopes to turn Frederiksberg into an example to be followed by more local governments.