Myths around chicken have run wild for years particularly around the percieved use of hormones and steroids. The simple fact is, it is illegal to administer hormones to chicken.

Let's bebunk the myths:

There are NO hormones or steroids in chicken

• Hormones were banned for use in poultry in the 1960s.
• Australian chicken has been hormone free for nearly 50 years!

There is NO antibiotic residue in chicken meat

• The government conducts a National Residue Survey every year and every year finds Australian chicken meat to be FREE of any traces of antibiotics and hormones.
• Antibiotics are not used as growth promotants.
• There is a minimal amount of antibiotics in chicken feed used to maintain the health of chickens.

Chickens are raised in large barns, not cages

• Our chickens are healthy and reared humanely.
• They are raised in specially built barns with room to roam and easy access to food and water. NO CAGES are used by the chicken meat industry.

Genetic modification of Australian chickens is illegal

• Australian chickens are not genetically modified.
• Improvements in chicken growth, tenderness and other characteristics is completely due to traditional breeding techniques which includes choosing the fittest, most efficient and strongest birds to produce the next generation, reinforcing desired traits of birds.
• Whilst Bartter Enterprises is dedicated to sourcing non-genetically modified feed when commercially available, there are some chicken feed components such as soy, which are genetically modified.
• Genetically modified feed does not represent a safety concern for consumers as the digestion process ensures there are no traces of genetically modified components in the chicken meat.
• Chickens fed genetically modified feed is the same as chickens fed non genetically modified feed.

There is no Avian Flu (H5N1) in Australia

• The Australian poultry industry has world leading biosecurity measures in place to protect poultry.
• Poultry will remain safe to eat as properly cooking chicken kills bacteria and any viruses including avian flu.
• There have been outbreaks of various strains of avian flu (not H5N1) in Australia in the past. These were quickly and effectively eradicated without any impact on consumers or the food supply.

All chicken in Australia is locally grown

• The Australian government does not permit imported chicken meat into the country so you can rest assured all chicken is grown by Australian farmers and sold domestically.
• To protect Australian agriculture and consumers from disease of foreign poultry, importing fresh or frozen chicken meat is currently illegal in Australia.
• The current practice is the best approach for upholding Australia’s public health, diseases and pests and the threat of bird flu spread.
• Some cooked chicken meat, such as the ingredients in processed food, eg animal food, may be imported only if the chicken meat is processed in accordance with strict protocols.