17th November 2022
Over 1 billion land animals are farmed for food in the UK annually, and legal standards for their welfare and quality of life do not go far enough according to the RSPCA[1] and others. Ever since Ruth Harrison’s ‘Animal Machines’ of 1964, consumers have been concerned about ‘factory farm’ conditions and animal welfare. The concept of One Health[2] has driven some improvements globally, particularly through government policies, as understanding of the interconnected nature of human, animal, and environmental health has grown. However, under this concept animal welfare does not always take priority.
Media campaigns such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s[3], have highlighted to many the importance of being discerning in what we buy. Market forces, in addition to government policies being influenced by NGOs such as Compassion in World Farming[4], have supported the development of higher animal welfare farming practices which prioritise better quality of life for farm animals above legal requirements. We often see promotional adverts portraying idyllic farm life and happy animals, however, with much of the UK population now living in more urban environments, few regularly spend time with animals other than companion animals. Being so removed from where our food comes from, is what we see in adverts reflective of reality?
How can higher welfare products be identified?
Across the UK there are a number of voluntary farm assurance schemes, of which membership is increasingly being demanded by retailers. All are different from each other with standards applying to animals farmed in the UK, which can make food labelling confusing. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) offer 7 guiding principles[5] to help consumers, recognising that buying decisions will be impacted by ethical and financial concerns, but also considering that higher animal welfare is not only dependent on the farming system used or size of farm[6].
Red Tractor[7] standards are at, or slightly above the legal level, while RSPCA Assured[8] is at a higher level than Red Tractor focusing on improving animal welfare. However, some species can still be kept indoors throughout their lives under each of these two schemes. Soil Association[9] certification has higher standards still, while meat or dairy products labelled as Pasture for Life[10] will have been fed a 100% grass and forage diet. These two schemes tend to focus more on environmental health and sustainability. Researching local options can also be beneficial, with some farmers investigating and trialling other ethical farming operations[11].
Understanding food labels, not being afraid to ask questions about ingredients, and researching terms used is extremely important. According to a Which? investigation, food packaging labelling lamb or beef as ‘grass fed,’ unless labelled Pasture for Life, means that animals had a minimum of 51% of their diet as grass. That means up to 49% could have been grain, which is less natural and suggests animals have not spent as much of their life outdoors as we might expect from the food labelling[12]. However, some pasture is poor quality and needs supplementing, so this may have been a choice for the farmer as to whether access to pasture or quality of feed is the higher welfare priority. ‘Free range’ eggs or chicken involves birds having access to outdoors, but how easy that access may be for all birds in a facility isn’t defined, and the length of time each day that access is available can also vary so terms are not always clear.
Barriers to expanding higher welfare standards
Barriers to higher farm animal welfare standards are varied but include:
- Lack of availability of higher welfare products in stores. Consumers cannot make a choice about the welfare standards of what they buy if higher welfare products are not readily available.
- Lack of education amongst consumers and complicated labelling relating to methods of production and what they mean for farmed animal welfare.
- Impact of events, such as the current cost of living crisis, and consumers’ ability to pay more for higher welfare produce rather than cheaper, usually imported, lower welfare products.
- The financial investment needed to change farm animal facilities and practices.
- Cultural lack of empathy for farmed animals and lack of awareness of the business benefits of higher welfare[13].
Benefits of choosing higher welfare
The benefits of choosing higher welfare practices and ongoing improvements are significant, providing a feel good factor to all involved:
- Better, and in some cases also longer, lives for farm animals.
- Higher welfare systems are better for the environment, both nationally and globally[14].
- Consumers know where the food they are eating comes from and the quality of life that animal may have experienced owing to increased transparency through labelling. This allows greater choice in line with their own conscience depending on their main priority; animal welfare, health, cost, environment and sustainability, or all of them.
- Higher welfare farm animal products are likely to be better quality.
- Wellbeing of farmers and their staff are improved, knowing that the animals they work with have better lives, that produce is better quality, potentially leading to reduced staff turnover and mental health issues.
Conclusion
Understanding amongst consumers is extremely important for making appropriate buying decisions with regards higher welfare meat, eggs, and dairy products given the implications involved, whether we choose to spend more, consume less, or cut these products out of our diets completely.
All images are provided by Canva.com
[1] RSPCA. (2017). Farm animals | rspca.org.uk. Rspca.org.uk. https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/farm
[2] World Health Organization. (n.d.). One Health. World Health Organization. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/one-health#tab=tab_1
[3] Says:, A. (2021). Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall & Peter Greig – rooting for real farms • Farms not factories. Farms Not Factories. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://farmsnotfactories.org/articles/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-peter-greig-rooting-real-farms
[4] Our mission is to end factory farming. Compassion in World Farming. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://www.ciwf.org.uk/
[5] British Veterinary Association. (n.d.). BVA – UK’s Farm Assurance Schemes. British Veterinary Association. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/choose-assured-farm-assurance-campaign/
[6] British Veterinary Association. (n.d.). BVA policy – Farm Assurance Schemes. British Veterinary Association. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/farm-assurance-schemes/
[7] Our standards: Red tractor. Red Tractor Consumer. (2022). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://redtractor.org.uk/our-standards/
[8]Farm Animal Welfare. RSPCA Assured. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.rspcaassured.org.uk/farm-animal-welfare/
[9] Better for Animals. Soil Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.soilassociation.org/take-action/organic-living/why-organic/better-for-animals/
[10] We champion the restorative power of grazing animals on pasture. Pasture for Life. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.pastureforlife.org/
[11] Ethical dairy farming. Ethical Consumer. (2020). Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/ethical-dairy-farming#:~:text=On%20the%20fringes%20of%20the,higher%20animal%20and%20environmental%20welfare
[12] WhichWebsite. (2020). The animal welfare behind the meat you buy – which? investigates. YouTube. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMuU8pjclZI
[13] Amos, N., & Sullivan, R. (2017). The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare: 2017 Report. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3133598
[14] High Welfare for Farmed Animals | World Animal Protection. (n.d.). Www.worldanimalprotection.org. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/our-work/food-systems/high-animal-welfare-farms#:~:text=Higher%20welfare%20farms%20can%20create
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