For 30 years, the RSPCA has lent its trusted name to factory farms through the RSPCA Assured scheme, promoting a misleading image of happy, well-cared-for animals. But the reality is far from this fairytale.
Our extensive investigation reveals the grim reality: immense suffering, widespread cruelty, and countless breaches of regulations on RSPCA Assured farms. It's time the public knew the truth. We urge the RSPCA to return to its roots in protecting animals by ending this deceptive scheme and leading the fight against animal cruelty.
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WHAT IS RSPCA ASSURED?​
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WHAT IS RSPCA ASSURED?
The RSPCA Assured scheme is a certification program run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the UK. It is designed to promote higher welfare standards for farm animals. Farms, food producers, and food retailers that meet the RSPCA's specific animal welfare standards can be certified under this scheme. Products from these certified farms often carry the RSPCA Assured label, a clear signal to consumers that the animals were raised under conditions that are supposedly more humane than standard farming practices.
The scheme covers a range of sentient animals, including chickens, pigs, cows, and fish, with standards focusing on various aspects of animal welfare, such as space, food, water, and general living conditions. The RSPCA Assured label is meant to assure consumers that the animal products they are buying come from farms where the animals were treated according to these welfare standards.
Time and again, with dossiers of evidence, the scheme has been criticised by experts in the field and people within the RSPCA for not living up to its claims and own standards. Investigations have clearly shown intense animal suffering in certified farms with conditions similar to those of conventional factory farms, thereby legitimising cruelty on an industrial scale and misleading consumers into believing that the animals were treated more humanely than they actually were.
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The RSPCA Assured scheme is a certification program run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the UK. It is designed to promote higher welfare standards for farm animals. Farms, food producers, and food retailers that meet the RSPCA's specific animal welfare standards can be certified under this scheme. Products from these certified farms often carry the RSPCA Assured label, a clear signal to consumers that the animals were raised under conditions that are supposedly more humane than standard farming practices.
The scheme covers a range of sentient animals, including chickens, pigs, cows, and fish, with standards focusing on various aspects of animal welfare, such as space, food, water, and general living conditions. The RSPCA Assured label is meant to assure consumers that the animal products they are buying come from farms where the animals were treated according to these welfare standards.
Time and again, with dossiers of evidence, the scheme has been criticised by experts in the field and people within the RSPCA for not living up to its claims and own standards. Investigations have clearly shown intense animal suffering in certified farms with conditions similar to those of conventional factory farms, thereby legitimising cruelty on an industrial scale and misleading consumers into believing that the animals were treated more humanely than they actually were.
FROM THE EXPERTS
CHRIS PACKHAM
RSPCA President
“I’m asking the RSPCA to shut down and review the RSPCA Assured scheme. It’s clearly not implementing a standard of welfare which is acceptable in the UK in the 21st century.”
Naturalist and television presenter Chris Packham has threatened to resign as President of the RSPCA due to concerns over salmon welfare at Scottish fish farms. After watching the investigation footage, Chris Packham has called the RSPCA Assured scheme "utterly indefensible".
"I found [the footage] extraordinarily difficult to watch. I felt sick, frankly. Animal suffering is animal suffering no matter where it is, but when it's happening in your own backyard - when we should be in a position to guard against it - it hurts more."
GEORGE MONBIOT
Journalist, The Guardian
How Britain’s oldest animal welfare charity became a byword for cruelty on an industrial scale
As it celebrates its 200th birthday, the RSPCA has lost its way - and is helping endorse indefensible abuse in factory farms… This is the conclusion of the deepest and most wide-ranging report yet conducted into something called RSPCA Assured. When I asked the RSPCA about the new report, it told me it is looking into the allegations. It claimed that: “If we stepped back from RSPCA Assured, we risk leaving millions of farmed animals with even less protection.”
I believe that’s the opposite of the truth. Animal Rising, correctly in my view, describes the Assured scheme as “a marketing arm of the intensive animal agriculture industry”.The RSPCA’s advertisements show animals leading blissful outdoor lives, while being cuddled and petted by the farmer. It invites primary schoolchildren to “thank a farmer” for raising pigs for slaughter. What is this, if not promoting the meat industry? I see the RSPCA as normalising and legitimising animal suffering on an industrial scale.
AYESHA SMART
Specialist barrister in animal welfare law and Crown Court judge
"Some of these RSPCA Assured farms do not even comply with basic legal requirements even though they hold themselves out to the public as being a ‘higher welfare’ supplier. This is effectively fraud [...]."
Dr ALICE BROUGH
Ex-commercial pig vet with extensive experience on RSPCA farms
"In my opinion, to refer to RSPCA Assured pigs as 'high welfare' is extremely misleading. For the RSPCA to be involved in such cruel industrial exploitation of animals is deeply disappointing given their outward, honourable intention to prevent cruelty to animals. In short, the pig industry and the RSPCA are failing to provide anything close to a life worth living for pigs."
Professor ANDREW KNIGHT
Veterinary Professor of Animal
Welfare and author
"Many of these birds suffer severely. All crowded into these barren sheds, with minimal opportunities to exercise highly motivated natural behaviours such as foraging and exploring within a naturalistic environment, and dust-bathing, experience chronic stress.
These birds are highly sentient, and such treatment of them is not ethical."
MARK BORTHWICK
Doctoral fellow studying behaviour and behaviour change on salmon farms
"This suffering is not caused by a single lapse in standards and practice, but rather, a farming system that is fundamentally not fit for purpose. I question the factual basis on which the RSPCA is certifying these animals, as the RSPCA's own standards are not being met, and these animals are clearly being kept in cruel conditions."
