Ezequiel Swinnen, known as ‘Gaucho Verde,’ has a farm in Luján, Argentina, where his chickens roam freely, peck at grass and insects, and almost never need antibiotics. But when asked whether his birds are happy, he gives an answer no one expects.
For him, talking about ‘happy chickens’ is pure emotional marketing. He prefers to talk about the five freedoms of animal welfare: free from hunger, fear, and pain, with space to behave naturally. A more technical, less sales-driven language, but according to him, much more honest.
The cost of that system is real: his eggs cost 40% more than conventional ones, and he admits that this model could never feed the entire world. Even so, he does not attack those who produce differently. He only asks that we stop looking for feelings where there is measurable welfare. And that idea, so simple, already has half the internet arguing.
