A new investigation by the international animal rights organisation AnimaNaturalis (in Spanish-speaking countries) and the Observatorio de Bienestar Animal has revealed severe animal welfare issues affecting chickens bred for consumption in the Iberian Peninsula, with images and data pointing to systemic suffering across the industry.
Photographs taken by photojournalist Aitor Garmendia at five farms in Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, show birds crowded together, surrounded by their own waste, and displaying visible injuries and deformities. The findings highlight the consequences of intensive farming practices, particularly the use of fast-growing chicken breeds, which account for around 80% of production in Spain.
According to the report, these animals are subjected to accelerated growth rates that push their bodies beyond natural limits, leading to diseases, muscle disorders, and cardiovascular failure before they even leave the farms. Evidence cited in the investigation suggests that more than half of the chickens develop clinical lameness or leg injuries due to constant contact with excrement-saturated flooring.
Aïda Gascón, director of AnimaNaturalis, said to El Publico, “What we see are terrible scenes; these are chickens that have been genetically selected to become meat-producing machines, in some cases their growth capacity has been multiplied by four…They cannot walk… they suffer heart failure, and the worst part is that these are not isolated cases; this type of production is carried out on 80% of farms in the country, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.”
The report also underscores the scale of the industry, noting that more than 810 million chickens were slaughtered in Spain in 2025 alone. Of these, an estimated 5.6%, equivalent to around 41 million animals, died on farms before reaching slaughterhouses.
The organisations behind the investigation are calling on the Spanish Government to adopt the European Chicken Commitment, which advocates a transition to slower-growing breeds and reduced stocking densities in farming facilities.
