RSPCA statement to ASA ruling on BPEX/Red Tractor “High Welfare” Campaign
The RSPCA understands that shoppers are being bombarded with different welfare messages in the supermarket and hopefully today’s ruling will help bring some clarity.
Buying British, shopping at a family butchers or farmshop, or choosing food with labels such as ‘farm fresh’ or ‘healthy option’ is not an automatic guarantee that the food has been produced under good animal welfare standards.
Under the Red Tractor scheme pigs can be kept on bare concrete or slatted floors with no comfortable bedding or suitable materials such as straw to root around in – not conditions which the RSPCA, and many shoppers, would equate with ‘high welfare’.
There are some really good farms in the Red Tractor scheme which go well above the basic scheme requirements to provide their pigs with higher welfare conditions but there are others which are merely working to the minimum requirements and therefore failing to meet all the pigs’ physical and behavioural needs.
However, the RSPCA shares the UK Pig Industry's concerns that a significant proportion of pork products imported into the UK from the EU and elsewhere come from pig production systems that would not meet certain key Red Tractor Scheme standards.
We know that shoppers care deeply about the welfare of farm animals. We are pleased that the pig industry and Red Tractor scheme realise that shoppers want to choose higher welfare options and we will continue working with them to help ensure all British pork becomes a higher welfare option and, in the process, improve conditions overall for the 10 million pigs reared in UK every year.
We would urge shoppers who care about animal welfare to look for the blue and white Freedom Food logo – that way they can be sure the farms have been inspected to strict RSPCA standards.
Ends
For interviews please contact Catherine Peerless in the RSPCA press office on 0300 1230005.
Catherine Peerless, RSPCA Press Officer
Office: 0300 123 0005
Out of hours: 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Take the worry out of caring for your pet – the RSPCA My Pet iPhone app has loads of pet care advice, a scrapbook and diary for key dates so you'll never forget a vet appointment again! Find out more by visiting: http://www.rspca.org.uk/in-action/aboutus/stayinformed/iphone
-01.png){kind=spacer}