An investigation by Animal Rising into 45 farms signed up to the RSPCA Assured scheme found animal cruelty and suffering at every one, as well as 280 legal breaches across the farms. Animal Rising and the Animal Justice Project want the RSPCA to drop the scheme, since it perpetuates animal exploitation and cruelty, misleading consumers into feeling good about their purchases. However, not all animal groups want to see an end to the scheme. Connor Jackson, CEO of Open Cages, says RSPCA Assured serves an important role in reducing animal suffering, while Anthony Field, head of UK Compassion in World Farming, states the scheme has succeeded in raising baseline standards for animal farming in the UK.
BOUDICCA FOX-LEONARD: The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), runs an accreditation scheme known as RSPCA Assured that “charges hatcheries, farms, hauliers and abattoirs an annual membership fee”… Publication of an investigation by campaigning organisation Animal Rising into 45 farms signed up to the scheme alleges animal cruelty and suffering at every one as well as 280 legal breaches across the farms…
Activists accused the RSPCA of being happy to rubber-stamp cruelty on factory farms and industrial animal abuse, while naturalist Chris Packham, president of the RSPCA, called on the charity to immediately suspend the scheme… A different animal rights organisation, Animal Justice Project, which has led similar investigations into the RSPCA Assured scheme, held a protest outside the charity’s headquarters in Horsham, West Sussex. Its activists delivered a cake carrying the message: “DROP RSPCA ASSURED”…
Campaigners have also accused the charity of “greenwashing”. Salmon farms, in particular, are in the spotlight for gaining accredited status amid growing concerns over industry methods and animal welfare. Almost 100 per cent of Scottish farmed salmon is produced under the RSPCA Assured scheme…
It has cast a shadow over celebrations for the charity which marks its 200-year anniversary on Sunday. The RSPCA was founded on 16 June 1824 when a small group of people met in a London coffee shop, determined to change animals’ lives. Instead of lauding its numerous achievements, the RSPCA has been forced to release a statement saying: “RSPCA Assured is acting swiftly to look into these allegations […] Any concerns about welfare on RSPCA Assured certified farms are taken extremely seriously.”
While livestock producers are used to being the target of animal activists, for an organisation that was set up to improve the welfare of animals, this will feel like a shot to the very heart of its mission.
The criticisms come just two months after the RSPCA sought to assert its identity as a body that cares for all of Mother Nature’s creatures, not just cats and dogs, by releasing an advertising campaign featuring spiders and snails being saved from harm.
The rebrand infuriated farmers and long-term donors who accused the organisation of woke pandering. It certainly appeared to be an attempt to align the RSPCA with more hardline animal activist groups such as PETA.
Now it seems the organisation’s bluff has been called. Does the RSPCA stand against any kind of harm for all animals, as the activists would have it, or does it seek simply to mitigate the suffering of those that we will eventually slaughter?
“The Assured scheme flies in the face of everything the RSPCA should stand for,” says Animal Rising spokesperson Nathan McGovern. “In the past, RSPCA members have died breaking up illegal animal sports, and their work for cats and dogs has been exemplary, it’s time to extend that to other animals across Britain.”
At the heart of the controversy is the RSPCA Assured scheme which, in 2022, covered more than 24 million UK animals, or 11.67 per cent of the total recorded by Defra. In the view of McGovern and his fellow activists, the RSPCA should not be putting its stamp of approval on farm animals: “The world’s oldest and most respected animal charity needs to be leading the way on protecting animals – not contributing to their suffering.”
Originally called Freedom Food, the scheme was founded in 1994. After a rebrand in 2015 to RSPCA Assured, this year it turns 30 years old. The scheme has about 4,000 members, including hauliers and abattoirs, as well as farms… Membership costs for RSPCA Assured are based on the size and type of operation. In addition to charging farms, hatcheries, hauliers and abattoirs an annual membership fee to cover the cost of carrying out assessments, the RSPCA takes a licence fee from food manufacturers to use the RSPCA Assured label…
In 2021, an independent review of RSPCA Assured found it was making a “positive and significant impact on improving the lives of 136 million animals a year in the UK”…
Animal Justice Project however wants the RSPCA to drop RSPCA Assured: “[It] perpetuates animal exploitation and cruelty, misleading consumers into feeling good about their purchases,” says Claire Palmer, founder and director of Animal Justice Project.
In a meat-eating society, the RSPCA is in an unenviable position. Does it make perfect the enemy of good, or aim to protect what animals it can and incur the wrath of animal activists?
“It seems bizarre that any group describing itself as being pro-animal welfare wouldn’t want such a scheme, unless of course, their true motive was to push a plant-based only eating agenda,” says Metcalf-Fisher.
Palmer makes no pretence of disguising this: “We believe that the RSPCA should not operate an assurance scheme, as animal suffering and exploitation are inevitable in farming. Instead, the RSPCA should advocate for plant-based farming, helping farmers transition and promoting veganism”… Indeed, not all animal welfare groups want to see an end to RSPCA Assured…
Connor Jackson, CEO & founder of Open Cages, a British animal advocacy organisation… says “I believe that improved welfare schemes like RSPCA Assured – whilst far from perfect – serve an important role in incentivising and encouraging the industry to move away from practices like this in order to reduce the massive scale of animal suffering within animal agriculture”. SOURCE…
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