Intensive Farming & Organic Farming

Until the middle of the twentieth century, chicken was regarded as a luxury and graced the tables only on special occasions. It was the advent of intensive rearing methods that changed its status, making chicken both plentiful and inexpensive, and it is now the most commonly eaten meat around the world.

Of course, that came with disadvantages - not least for the chickens - including overcrowding, poor health and being kept constantly caged. Non-free-range birds feed on grain coated with antibiotics to improve their resistance to disease, while living in cramped conditions. The meat is often bland and tasteless, and is sometimes pumped with water to make it more tender.