Valentin School. L214 demonstrates in front of Grand Frais

The action carried out on Saturday morning by the L214 association within the Grand Frais stores in École-Valentin and Châteaufarine was intended to make an impression on more than one customer on the conditions in which chickens are raised.

The national action, carried out in thirty French cities, aimed to encourage the management of the Grand Frais chain to adhere to the European Chicken Commitment and to exclude "the worst practices in the breeding and slaughter of chickens." A convention that all major competing chains have already committed to respecting. "Today, Grand Frais is therefore the last major retailer to persist in supporting the worst practice of intensive chicken farming," explains Corine Chalamon, correspondent for the Besançon branch. "The chickens supplied by Grand Frais are the result of extensive genetic selection, which causes them to grow abnormally quickly. They spend their lives confined in breeding buildings without natural light at densities of up to 20 birds per square meter. These cruel breeding conditions cause lameness, muscle and lung malformations, and heart problems," the protesters claim.

Around twenty volunteers from the L214 association, from the Besançon branch, gathered peacefully and described themselves as whistleblowers to raise consumer awareness. They mobilized with banners, leaflets, and petitions: "Grand Frais, grande cruelté," one could read. The messages brandished in front of the store entrances attracted the attention of the many customers doing their Saturday shopping. One customer, having learned about the living conditions of these chickens, decided to turn around and do her shopping elsewhere. A group of activists infiltrated the store to participate in a counter-promotion operation, affixing around a hundred magnetic stickers to the store's chicken trays.

The company's management spoke with officials from the L214 association. Upon their warning, it specifically asked the protesters to leave the premises so as not to disrupt what it considers private spaces.