Farmer welfare concerns have led to a review of RSPCA Assured food labels

Animal welfare inspectors have been sent to more than 200 farms amid claims one of Britain’s biggest food certification schemes is failing to meet legal standards, the BBC has learned.

RSPCA Assured covers nearly 4,000 farms and supermarket labels must inform shoppers that the food they buy has been produced to higher welfare standards.

But a coalition of 60 campaigning organizations called for the scheme to be scrapped, saying undercover investigations into around 40 farms had uncovered welfare problems.

The RSPCA said it had launched a further investigation and review of the scheme, including unannounced visits to more than 200 randomly selected members, after hearing the concerns.

Earlier this year, animal welfare activists carried out undercover filming at RSPCA Assured farms which they said showed breaches of legal standards and regulations. These include overcrowding, poor hygiene, unacceptable health conditions and, in extreme cases, the abuse of livestock by farm workers.

At the time, Chris Packham, the president of the RSPCA himself, called for the suspension of the RSPCA Assured scheme.

RSPCA Assured said it had launched an immediate investigation after receiving the footage and visited all farms identified as members of the scheme. He said it was established that the eight farms were not members.

It said two members had been removed from the scheme and five had been “sanctioned” which could include “advice, formal warnings or additional measures such as unannounced visits”.

A “fine grain and comprehensive” review of the scheme, which covers meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, has also been underway for months.

The RSPCA said the inspection of more than 200 farms was based on a random selection and “was not selected because of specific animal welfare concerns”.

“We commissioned this review because we want to give our supporters, partners and the public confidence that RSPCA Assured consistently delivers more welfare than standard farming practices,” said a spokesman.

On Thursday, an open letter calling for an end to the scheme was sent directly to the RSPCA, signed by 60 animal welfare organisations, including Animal Rising, Animal Aid, PETA and the Animal Justice Project, along with celebrities including Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley and Bryan. Adams.

The letter said the scheme was “animal cruelty that washes away welfare and misleads the public”.

Ayesha Smart, a specialist animal welfare lawyer who is backing the campaign, said she believed the investigative footage she had seen had uncovered breaches of the law at RSPCA Assured farms.

He said that “the scheme cannot legitimately be said to ensure the welfare of farm animals and is no longer appropriate.”

Rose Patterson, from the campaign group Animal Rising, said the RSPCA must “become the true leader of all animals and stop animal cruelty washing away welfare”.

The RSPCA’s Assured scheme – originally known as Freedom Food – was launched 30 years ago.

Certified farms must follow strict welfare standards set by RSPCA welfare scientists and are higher than those legally required in the UK.

Those that meet these standards can carry the label on their products, which are available at supermarkets including Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, and restaurants including McDonald’s and the Frankie & Benny chain.

The RSPCA added that both it and the RSPCA’s Assured scheme “take welfare concerns on farms very seriously – this is the sole focus of the scheme and is central to the RSPCA’s core work. Failure to comply with the scheme’s standards is unacceptable”.

A spokesman added that once the review’s findings had been assessed “we will take strong action”.