Animal welfare inspectors are investigating more than 200 farms under the UK’s RSPCA Assured scheme, following claims that the scheme is failing to enforce legal standards. The scheme covers almost 4,000 farms and its labels intend to inform shoppers that the food they buy has been produced to higher welfare standards. A coalition of 60 campaigns has called for the scheme to be abolished after investigations at around 40 farms found evidence of welfare issues.
Earlier this year, activists claiming to represent animal welfare carried out secret filming on RSPCA farms, which they said breached legal standards. RSPCA President, Chris Packham, called at the time for the suspension of the scheme. After receiving footage, the RSPCA launched an immediate investigation, during which it visited all farms identified as members of the scheme. Two members were removed from it while five were “sanctioned”. The organisation has also undergone a comprehensive review of the scheme, which covers dairy products, eggs, fish and meat.
The targeted investigation of 200 farms is random and “weren’t chosen due to specific animal welfare concerns”, according to a spokeswoman for the RSPCA.”We commissioned this review as we want to give our supporters, partners and the public confidence that RSPCA Assured is consistently delivering better welfare than standard farming practice,” she added. On Thursday, an open letter calling for the abolition of the scheme was sent to the RSPCA, signed by 60 animal welfare organisations, including PETA, Animal Aid, Animal Rising and Animal Justice Project, as well as celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Bryan Adams and Ricky Gervais.
The RSPCA Assured scheme, originally launched as Freedom Food 30 years ago, requires certified farms to adopt welfare standards that are set by RSPCA scientists. These standards are higher than the legal requirements in the UK. Products that carry the label are sold in supermarkets including Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, and in chains such as the Frankie & Benny’s restaurants
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