The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has welcomed news that the UK government is set to launch a consultation into clearer food labelling.
The RSPCA said clearer labelling on food imported from abroad, and especially those that do not meet UK welfare standards, could be a “lifeline” to British farmers who are at risk of being undercut by “cheap, low welfare imports flooding our shelves through free trade agreements”.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay announced the consultation at the Oxford Farming Conference today (Thursday, January 4).
Barclay said the UK government will “rapidly consult on clearer labelling so we can tackle the unfairness created by misleading labelling and protect farmers and consumers”.
RSPCA head of public affairs, David Bowles said the charity has been campaigning for greater transparency on animal products for some time in order to give consumers an “informed choice” about the products they buy.
The charity is urging the UK government to not only consult on providing clear labelling for domestic and/or higher welfare products but transparent method of production labelling across the board to give consumers information about how the animals have been cared for.
“Currently, there is little information available to consumers to show them how farm animals have been reared,” he said.
“Instead, the public can be shown images of rolling green hills and animals in the sunshine which can be incredibly misleading and not reflective of reality in many cases.
“This is especially true of intensive farming practices which still account for around 70% of all land farming in the UK.”
Animal welfare
An RSPCA survey carried out on 2,560 people in March of last year revealed that 81% believe having a level of knowledge about the condition that animals have been reared and kept in it important when purchasing products.
It also revealed that 79% of people believe that they can improve animal welfare through their purchasing habits.
“We welcome the commitment to bring in labelling on processed food as well as primary products and to update our procurement standards to encourage higher welfare food can be served in our prisons and schools,” Bowles said.
“We now look forward to working with the UK government to agree clearer welfare labelling rules on food products this year – and ensuring these proposals become a reality.
“In the meantime, those concerned about this issue can always look for the RSPCA Assured label in their local supermarket – the RSPCA’s higher welfare farm assurance scheme.”
