A free range chicken producer is celebrating after winging its way to success in the Compassion in World Farming awards.

Sutton Hoo Free Range Chicken was awarded a Good Chicken Award at the prestigious Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards in recognition of its commitment to farm animal welfare.

The event, in London, was hosted by cook, food writer and broadcaster Valentine Warner. The awards, now in their sixth year, recognise and award food companies that are “committed to implementing substantial policy changes that result in positive impacts for farm animals”.

More than 50 awards were presented across five different categories - the Good Egg Award, Good Chicken Award, Good Dairy Award, Good Pig Award, and the Leadership and Innovation in Retail 2012.

Belinda Nash, owner of Sutton Hoo Free Range said “The everlasting passion that my husband, Charles, had for rearing poultry to the highest possible welfare standards lives on with every chicken that carries the Sutton Hoo label. I know that Charles would have been immensely proud to have won the Compassion in World Farming Good Chicken Award. “This award will inspire me and my team to maintain the successful relationship between Sutton Hoo and Diaper Poultry which began in August 1999 and establish the Sutton Hoo way of rearing poultry as a template for others to emulate.”

Steve McIvor, Director of Food Business, Compassion in World Farming, said: “The awards are a vital tool that allows us to engage and converse with food companies under the banner of recognition and celebration which is very successful in helping us forge strong relationships. We would like to congratulate all of our winners for the huge difference they are making to the lives of thousands of farm animals. We need more businesses to follow their excellent example and keep the momentum going across the industry”.

The Good Chicken Award was launched in 2010, celebrates companies that use or are committing to use higher welfare chicken in their supply chain, addressing issues such as stocking density, growth rate and the need for environmental enrichment for broiler chickens.