Tesco shareholders finally kill off TV chef's bid to make us all eat organic chicken as kitchen rival tells him to shut up

Backed by animal welfare campaigners, he had tabled a special resolution at Tesco's annual general meeting calling for the company to commit to raising its standards.

But despite an impassioned plea, shareholders sided with the Tesco board, who insisted they already met Government regulations and pointed out that the upgrade demanded by Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall would push the price of an average weight chicken up.

Nine out of ten voters voted against the River Cottage star's proposal.

Vote loser: The television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at Tesco's annual general meeting at The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham

Tesco chairman David Reid revealed that he had suggested to Defra that a forum should be set up for an industry-wide debate on animal welfare.

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall's concerns centred on the 'five freedoms' proposed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council which expressed the right of stock to live a life free from pain and distress.

He told yesterday's meeting at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham that he was taking a stand because chicken is Britain's most popular meat and Tesco sells more of it than any other supermarket.

He said: 'I believe we have a duty of care to every animal we use as food.

'I believe Tesco is failing in that duty of care because, at the least, it's failing to live up to its own welfare policy.

'My problem is that at least 75 per cent of all chicken Tesco sells is from the standard intensive industry. I believe that does not uphold to the five freedoms.'

Referring to an industry-wide average, he continued: 'For example, number three freedom from pain, injury or disease.

Chicken run: Campaign suppoters give out leaflets to urge Tesco shareholders to improve the retailer's chicken rearing standards

'The routine mortality rate is between four to five per cent as a result of heart ailments and leg injuries.'

He also referred to number four, freedom to express normal behaviour saying: 'I believe standard intensive production does not have sufficient environmental enrichment because they are kept in too confined a space.'

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall congratulated Tesco on upgrading its higher quality Willow Farm chicken range to standards set by the RSPCA and called on the company to upgrade all its poultry to what he calls the 'acceptable minimum standard' by 2010/11.

Addressing the Tesco board, he added: 'You have said that to upgrade would cost 1a bird. That is a tactic to make your shareholders anxious.'

His speech was widely applauded by shareholders, although some later lost patience when other questions from the floor were also about chickens even after Mr Reid had asked for no more such questions saying the issue had been exhausted.

There were even shouts of 'shut up' at one unfortunate shareholder who dared to broach the subject again after Mr Reid's ban on the subject.

River cottage star: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall with a chicken he rescued from a vactory farm

Before the meeting the board had recommended shareholders vote against the resolution. In a letter it said: 'We believe that the chickens purchased for sale by the company are already produced in systems capable of providing the five freedoms.'

It added: 'We are very committed to poultry welfare and fully meet our animal welfare standards...in fact we exceed these standards in a number of areas.'

Yesterday Mr Reid told Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall: 'We do obviously believe we meet all legislation.'

He added it was not a good idea to promote dearer food when people are already feeling the effects of rising food prices because of the current economic situation.

After the meeting Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall vowed to continue his campaign to improve chickens' welfare. He said the near ten per cent support for his resolution was 'very significant' and would put Tesco 'on its mettle'.

He added: 'Tesco keep calling themselves "leaders" in the poultry welfare market but the fact is they are lagging behind other supermarkets who have taken the lead in producing higher welfare poultry.

Grilling: TV Chef Marco Pierre White has a go at Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall in a live rant on This Morning

Recipe for an argument: Marco Pierre White claimed is wasn't practical to only raise organic chickens

'Sainsbury's and the Co-Op have both committed to phasing out intensively farmed poultry over the next few years. Waitrose and Marks and Spencer have their own high standards in place.

Meanwhile, fiery chef Marco Pierre White took aim at Fearnley-Whittingstall over his campaign.

He told This Morning: 'I think everyone buys with their pocket, if everyone could afford organic we would go and buy organic. 

'But there are a lot of families in this country who only earn 20-25K-a-year gross and they've got three children to bring up.

'It's a cheap punch, and lets be honest if every chicken was free range we would be driving down the motorway seeing millions of chickens - we haven't got enough land for all these chickens.

'I think certain people should just get a life, and go back to where ever they came from. Chicken is chicken.'