Spotlight on RSPCA

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is one of the oldest and largest animal welfare organisations in the world. The RSCPA is funded entirely by voluntary donations and is constantly striving to increase national and global awareness of animal cruelty. There are many ongoing campaigns to improve conditions for animals; below are some examples.

Freedom Food is the farm assurance and food labelling scheme established in 1994 to improve the welfare of farm animals and also offers consumers a higher welfare choice. Recently brought into the spotlight by celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, the scheme lays out specific RSPCA welfare standards for laying hens, chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, salmon, and beef and dairy cattle. These standards are based on scientific veterinary and industry advice. Freedom Food labelled products are available in all major UK supermarkets. Look for the logo when you are purchasing any type of farm animal products.

The RSPCA has launched its annual awards scheme in honour of local authorities and housing providers in England and Wales who have provided outstanding levels of animal welfare. The Welfare State: Measuring Animal Welfare in the UK is an annual running report the RSPCA does to measure how animals are faring in the UK. Each animal welfare "indicator" is awarded a green, red or amber traffic light that demonstrates which changes - if any - have been made from the previous year.

This report has led to the concept of an "animal welfare footprint" which is a new way of judging the impact an individual or group has on the welfare of animals around us. There are four "Footprint Categories" within the awards scheme - stray dogs, housing, contingency planning and animal welfare principles - and organisations are recognised for their contribution to, and promotion of welfare good practice in each category.

The "Rooting for Pigs" campaign is trying to significantly improve the welfare of pigs by calling for clear and consistent labelling on pork products. The RSPCA is calling for a better law to protect pigs and enforce higher welfare standards. The RSPCA believes that clearer labelling will help shoppers make informed choices when they buy pork products in their local supermarket.

Due to the unclear way that pork is labelled it is hard for the consumer to understand what type of conditions the pigs are actually reared in. Only 2% of people in a recent poll understood what the terms "free range" and "outdoor bred" meant. The RSPCA is trying to get the supermarkets and UK food retailers to work with them and the British pig industry to try to agree on a standard set of definitions for pork product labels.

The RSPCA is an amazing charity as well as a national institution which has help save thousands of animals and provided many with new homes. They have dedicated themselves to making people aware of animal conditions and have strived to get legislation and regulations passed to ensure animals are treated fairly.

In these difficult times it is easy to forget that charities still need our help. Animal Friends Insurance is the only UK insurance company which donates 100% of its net profits to animal charities and welfare organisations around the world - you too can make a difference when you buy pet insurance from AFI!

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