Dr Marc Cooper, Head of Farm Animals at the RSPCA, said: "We were pleased to assist the court in providing vital evidence to inform a decision that could prevent the suffering of a billion meat chickens every year and we now await the outcome of this landmark case.

"This judicial review has the potential to improve the lives of billions of meat chickens. Around 90% of all the chickens reared for meat in the UK have been genetically selected to grow so fast that they suffer from multiple health issues, such as lameness, leg lesions, breast muscle diseases and heart problems, and ultimately do not have a life worth living."

• The RSPCA acted as an intervener and provided evidence to support the case, brought by The Humane League, at the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday 3 May - Thursday 4 May.

• The legal case was based on the RSPCA's Eat. Sit. Suffer. Repeat: The life of a typical meat chicken report, which provides the evidence base that faster-growing breeds are genetically predisposed to health problems.  Compared to a commercially viable slower growing breed, they are around three times more likely to suffer from moderate to severe lameness and therefore require culling, up to around twice as likely to die, over four times more likely to suffer from leg lesions, and up to 23 times more likely to suffer from breast muscle diseases.

• The outcome of this case is not expected for another couple of months.

Video available from Kate Parkes, RSPCA poultry expert: https://we.tl/t-CJj3wHJKPm