Tiny Beam Foundation: Who Owns Chickens?

Chicken is the most consumed meat on the planet – across countries, cuisines and climates. However, we know little about the drivers behind the expansion of global chicken and most datasets do not have enough detail to tell us more. In this Guidance Memo, we focus on the production and ownership structures behind the expansion of chicken, focusing on four emerging countries: Brazil, Mexico, India and China. We find that just 376 companies are responsible for 75% of global chicken production, with ownership increasingly concentrated through mergers and institutional investment. In Brazil, Mexico, India and China, 91 firms control 36% of production, serving 4 billion people. Using our data analysis, we suggest four levers of action against corporate power in the chicken sector, ranging from financial activism, legal and investigative action, to corporate campaigning and government advocacy. We ask critical questions about whether such an industrial system is necessary at all on grounds of social and ecological impacts, market power inequalities, and scale of animal/human suffering.