The RSPCA removed all recipes containing “RSPCA Assured” meat, eggs and dairy from its website yesterday (09/06/24). [1]
This follows the release yesterday of Animal Rising’s investigation into the RSPCA Assured scheme [2], with covert footage of 45 RSPCA farms unearthing shocking scenes of pigs left to die covered in slurry, dying chicks, and carcasses left to fester next to living animals.
Until yesterday the Assured website featured almost exclusively recipes which included meat, dairy or eggs. [3]
RSPCA President Chris Packham has broken ranks, calling the investigation footage “indefensible.” He also called for the suspension of the scheme [4].
Today the full report was handed in to the RSPCA, New Scotland Yard, DEFRA and the British Veterinary Association.
The report, which includes expert testimony from veterinarians and was reviewed by lawyers and a crown court judge, found 280 legal breaches on the 45 investigated farms, in addition to 94 breaches of DEFRA guidelines. Footage released by Animal Rising also shows investigators removing one piglet from a farm premises to receive veterinary care for a large, untreated facial abscess.
Dan Kidby, Animal Rising Co-Founder and one of the farm investigators, said:
“Removing these recipes is a great first step from the RSPCA. We need to see the RSPCA leading a plant-based transition away from animal farming, in line with their aim to ‘create a better world for every animal.’ Their endorsement of so-called “high welfare” farming has been a huge misstep, as seen in the footage taken from Assured farms across the country.
“We are hopeful that the RSPCA will see sense and finally stop encouraging the use of pigs, hens and fish as ingredients and offer equal protection to all animals, regardless of species.”
Animal Rising have promised to put continued pressure on the RSPCA to drop the scheme, with a summer of actions planned. Today, Animal Rising has a presence at the RSPCA headquarters in Horsham while investigators who witnessed the horrors at the featured farms are handing in the report in person to the RSPCA, the police at New Scotland Yard, and to the headquarters of DEFRA and the British Veterinary Association .
A video of key findings can be viewed on Animal Rising’s website and YouTube channel. [5] The report is viewable on the Animal Rising website and can be emailed on request. [6]
Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.
ENDS
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