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Owning a Nando's Black Card is the lifelong dream of chicken fans up and down the country.

The exclusive card guarantees the holder and up to four pals the opportunity to enjoy a lot of free chicken over one year.

Gracing the wallets of celebrities including Example and Ed Sheeran , very few people are granted one by the famous chain each year.

But now, diners can get their hands on a limited edition ‘Red Card’ which offers something very different.

Unlike its black counterpart, it doesn’t offer its holder any free meals or drinks.

The brightly coloured card, which has been designed by activist charity World Animal Protection, is actually part of a 'cheeky' campaign calling for action.

The charity claims that some chickens supplied to Nando’s have been bred to grow so fast that their legs can become painfully deformed, leaving them often unable to walk and they die prematurely.

And that some of the birds are kept in cramped conditions with little space to move, preventing them from behaving naturally.

The group is now asking diners to take a photo with their red card and sign a petition urging Nando’s to review its chicken welfare policies.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

The #RealCheekyNandos campaign sees the animal activists call on the famous chicken chain to switch to bird breeds that grow at a natural rate.

And give its chickens more space so they can move more freely and behave more naturally.

Nando's says that all of its chickens are barn reared to Red Tractor standard.

And that the majority of its chickens are raised in sheds with natural light and with access to welfare enrichment such as perches, hay bales and pecking objects.

In May, activist group Animal Equality claimed chickens reared on farms supplying Nando's were being abused by workers.

The footage allegedly captured birds in such poor health that they could not even stand.

At the time, a spokesman for Nando's said: "We expect all our suppliers to operate to high standards and we are disappointed with the footage.

“We will be working with the supplier to get to the bottom of these allegations.”

Now Ian Woodhurst, UK farming campaigns manager at World Animal Protection has called on the chain restaurant to change its welfare policies.

He said: "Nando's is proud of its prized PERi-PERi, 'cheeky' banter and much-hyped Black Card, which only VIPs can get their hands on.

(Image: animal equality)

"But there's one thing Nando's does not like to shout about. The chain uses fast-growing breeds of chickens which grow so quickly they often end up with painfully deformed legs and failing hearts and lungs that struggle to keep up.

"They are also kept in cramped conditions with little space to move or behave naturally.

"To spread the news of Nando's poor welfare standards we've created a cheeky Nando's 'Red Card', and we're asking concerned customers to share it on social media to help persuade the restaurant chain to urgently improve its chicken welfare policies."

A Nando’s spokesman said: “Nando’s has been working hard with a range of independent experts on our strategy to address the complex relationship between higher welfare standards, environmental issues and supply-chain management.

"We know that as a chicken restaurant group we have a desire and responsibility to overcome these challenges, identify opportunities and ensure that every aspect of how we source our chicken is done in the best possible way.

"We welcome initiatives like the Better Chicken Commitment and share the aspiration and recognition of the need to change, which we believe needs to be a combined effort across the industry.

"We look forward to keeping everyone updated on our plans as we move forward on this important issue.”

To sign the petition click here.