Free range and organic chicken sales have soared, following a controversial Jamie Oliver television programme in which chickens were slaughtered using battery farming methods.

This week’s Country Life also features the benefits of keeping free range chickens.

Waitrose experienced a 31 per cent rise in the sales of organic chickens in the second week in January, and sold out of free-range chicken thighs. Asda and Sainsbury’s also experienced a rise in sales.

‘Jamie’s Fowl Dinners’ showed the slaughter of battery farmed chickens and, following the programme, sales of free range and organic chicken have soared.

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