Animalia campaigns for the visibility of broilers

Animalia has launched a new Tuhotuotetut campaign aimed at raising awareness of the ethical and ecological problems of broiler chicken production in Finland.  (The name of the campaign is Tuhotuotetut, a play of words referring both to industrial farming (tehotuotanto) and destruction (tuho).

Broiler chicken production is one of the most industrialized forms of animal production, causing significant suffering to animals, increasing environmental degradation, and contributing to biodiversity loss. Broiler chicken feed is made of ingredients that could be used directly for human consumption.

In Finland, more broiler chickens are slaughtered every month than there are people living in the country, but broiler chickens are still almost invisible in our society – they are only seen as products on store shelves and in advertisements where production is portrayed as something happening on an idyllic family farm.

Animalia’s campaign aims to change this by making broiler chickens visible, increasing understanding of their lives, and exposing the industry’s welfare washing and greenwashing. Animalia’s starting point is clear: there is no way of ensuring animal welfare in broiler chicken production. The campaign does not seek to fine-tune production, but rather to question its very basis. The goal is to reduce broiler meat consumption in Finland and replace it with plant-based proteins – not with slower-growing broiler hybrids, which do not solve the ethical or ecological problems of broiler chicken production.

Campaign activities, supported by project funding from the investment and impact company Adventurous Ideas, Kone Foundation and the National Audiovisual Institute, include events and training, investigative journalism, a Broiler Barometer, outdoor and digital advertising and street activism across Finland. We will also develop a food vision that outlines a plant-based future for Finland. We will train “chicken ambassadors,” produce animal rights podcasts, and organize workshops to explore utopian yet possible alternatives to the current food system. We will also produce teaching materials and workshops aimed at strengthening young people’s media literacy and ability to recognize greenwashing and welfare washing in the marketing of animal products, especially broiler meat.

The campaign’s target groups are consumers, young people, teachers, and restaurants. Communications are directed specifically at consumers, with the aim of sparking discussion, raising awareness, and changing attitudes. The campaign does not primarily seek to influence policy, but rather to change the social climate so that chickens are seen as sentient animals rather than mere products.

The campaign will be implemented in stages between 2025 and 2027. The first stage will focus on producing information and building visibility. In the second phase, the campaign will take to the streets, the media, and restaurants. The third phase will focus on structural changes, such as within public food services. The campaign will also include volunteer activities, training, and events that offer opportunities to make an impact through civic participation.

Animalia believes that knowledge, awareness, and social debate can change attitudes and practices. The campaign invites everyone to join in building a future where broiler chickens are no longer part of our food system, and where animal rights are recognized as a building block of a sustainable society.