Nominations Dutch Liegebeest 2019

Wakker Dier nominated five candidates for the Liegebeest election 2019 on 26 August: enriched' ebony chicken from McDonald's, 'tenderly produced' milk chocolate from Milka, 'stress-free' Irish cattle from Bord Bia, 'lovingly' disposed lambs from Jumbo and finally the AH chicken with the least space.

Wakker Dier has been organising the Liegebeest election for eleven years, to tackle deception and lying claims about animal welfare. "Companies disguise animal suffering with fine words instead of taking real steps towards animal welfare," says Anne Hilhorst of Wakker Dier. As a result, more animal-friendly products do not get a fair chance. People can vote for the most misleading claim from 26 August to 15 September.

Chicken at McDonald's

McDonald's pretends to have stopped using ejected chicken and instead uses '100 percent enriched chicken meat'. This enrichment includes straw bales and daylight. But McDonald's hides the fact that this is just a fast-growing, ejected chicken that grows to a 2.3-kilo chicken in six weeks' time.

Tender milk chocolate from Milka

Milka claims that her milk chocolate is made from 'tenderly produced milk', while she takes calves away from their mothers immediately after birth. A dairy cow has to give a calf every year. The calves are taken away from their mothers shortly after birth and placed in lonely housing.

Stress-free Irish beef from Bord Bia

The animal-friendly image of Irish beef is safeguarded by Bord Bia: an Irish government body that promotes the commercial success of Irish food abroad. He speaks of a 'wonderful, stress-free life'. But in the meantime the company allows calves to be dehorned and castrated without anaesthesia.

Motherless lambs at Jumbo

The goats that supply the milk for goat's cheese are cared for with 'a lot of love and attention', says Jumbo. But lambs have to leave their mothers immediately after birth and soon go to a fattening farm. The conditions there are so bad that about thirty percent of them die prematurely. At about six weeks the lambs go to slaughter.

Minimum space for AH chickens

Albert Heijn says on the packaging that his chicken gets 'more space'. With sixteen chickens on a square metre, Albert Heijn gives the chickens the least space - without daylight. Even discounter Aldi gives the chickens more space.

Winners of previous years

Last year, Rabobank won because of an advertisement in which it pretended to make the food sector more sustainable, while in reality the bank invested billions of euros in mega stalls, among other things. In 2017, Albert Heijn was awarded the prize because he suggested that the serrano ham pigs were out in the meadow.