Let’s start firstly by saying that the RSPCA is a wonderful organisation that we are fortunate to have. There are not many countries where you can call up a charity at any time to report any animal abuse you see or suspect, and have trained officers turn up to help.
This post is instead concerned with the RSPCA-assured label, that is supposed to guarantee better welfare for farmed animals.
Read more on Compassion in World Farming’s proposals for a 6-tier food label system. This is simple and would make it easy for any person who eats animal foods to know the welfare. But of course government and some people in the factory-farming industry are blocking it.
At end of September 2024, Dr Brian May (a qualified scientist as well as Queen guitarist) and well-known campaigner against the badger cull (which he can argue on scientific grounds), resigned as vice-president of the RSPCA, something understood in an open letter by Chris Packham and Caroline Lucas (the former has also called for a pause on the scheme, pending further investigation).
Brian writes that he was heartbroken at having to make this decision. But felt he had no choice as not enough was being done (urgently) to address allegations from poor hygiene and overcrowding to sometimes physical abuse of livestock by farm workers.
Why does the government simply not introduce Compassion in World Farming’s 6-tier system instead, as linked above? This would be one standard that could be trusted by everyone (it even has one upgrade from Soil Association’s certified organic label).
And would make it easy for people who eat meat to avoid factory-farmed meat, something that nearly everyone would do, especially if such goods were clearly labelled. For now, the best thing to do is to buy a few good vegan cookbooks!
