Denmark Moves to Ban Fast-Growing Chicken Breeds and Pushes for EU-Wide Rules

Denmark is moving to ban the fast-growing "turbo chickens" bred for its chicken production. Christian Rabjerg Madsen, the country's Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare, says he wants to work toward a national ban on producing the birds, and toward a ban across the whole EU.

The minister told Danish broadcaster TV 2 on October 28 that it should be forbidden to produce so-called turbo chickens in Denmark, reports the Ritzau news agency. He made the call a day after seven parties said they want a national ban. Alternativet, Enhedslisten, SF, the Social Liberals, Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives all back one, the Denmark Democrats are positive about the idea, and government party the Moderates, which voted against a similar proposal in 2024, has changed its mind.

The most popular breed is Ross 308, which grows from about 50 grams (under 2oz) to two kilos (4.4lb) in roughly 33 days. According to Berlingske, cited by Ritzau, Denmark produces around 70 million turbo chickens a year.

Speaking to TV 2, as reported by AFP, the minister was clear about both the goal and the homework still to do:

I want to work towards a national ban, but it's clear that this is something that has to be examined both from a legal standpoint and, of course, an economic one before we can move forward. ... We are also working towards a ban at EU level.

So this is a plan rather than a law just yet, and there's no date. But Denmark has been heading this way for a while. A working group set up under the government's animal welfare agreement reported in June 2025, and a majority of its members found a welfare gain in using slower-growing chickens kept to the same management standards.

Danes are paying attention. A survey published in October by the Danish animal protection group Anima found that over 40% of the chickens in Danish supermarket chill cabinets are now slower-growing breeds. Anima says two in three Danes think supermarkets should drop the turbo chicken altogether. Next door, AFP reports, Norway has committed to phasing the breeds out by the end of 2027.

Industry body Landbrug & Fødevarer warns that a Danish-only ban could bring in more cheap imported chicken, which is why the minister is also looking to Brussels.

People are gradually becoming more aware of the suffering behind cheap meat, and more and more of them are choosing plant-based alternatives instead. Denmark is also the country that published the world's first national action plan for plant-based foods in 2023, and the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations now advise a predominantly plant-based diet. Better still, skip the chicken entirely and discover the abundance of tasty, cruelty-free plant-based foods.

Denmark has been a bellwether for a decade. Back in 2016 Denmark considered a tax on red meat to fight climate change, a year later Danish politicians went vegan to tackle climate change, and in 2023 Denmark published the world's first national plant-based action plan, the same year the new Nordic nutrition guidelines recommended a predominantly plant-based diet. Just last week the COP31 climate summit set a 60% meat-free menu target.

The future is plant-based, and it's looking brighter every day.