Want a career in farm animal welfare?

If you care deeply about the lives of farmed animals, a career in animal welfare could be the perfect fit.

I’m an RSPCA Assured assessor and I have specialist knowledge in pigs.

Based in the north of England, I spend my days visiting RSPCA Assured members’ farms to check they’re meeting the RSPCA’s higher welfare standards.

It’s a job that combines my love of animals, my interest in farming and my passion for improving welfare.

Here’s what I love most about my work – and my advice for anyone thinking about a career in farmed animal welfare.

Expect the unexpected

No two days are ever the same. I usually plan to visit three farms a day – but pigs don’t always stick to the plan! They’re very intelligent animals and love to investigate what’s going on. Sometimes they want to come and say hello, and that can take a while!

There’s nothing like seeing pigs on a higher welfare farm, rooting around in their bedding – or enjoying the outdoors with space to roam and be themselves.

Be kind – to people and animals

It’s really important to me that farmers feel as supported and encouraged as possible. Our members have made a real commitment by choosing to rear their animals to the RSPCA welfare standards, so I want to do everything I can to help them.

That means being kind, patient and understanding. You never know what challenges people are facing, so I always listen and offer support where I can. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing – higher welfare for animals. And empathy is a big part of achieving that.

Keep adapting

Farming never stands still. From environmental changes to the threat of diseases like swine fever or avian flu, there are always new challenges to face.

Biosecurity – which means protecting animals from illness by preventing diseases from entering or spreading on farms – is particularly important.

I always keep my car stocked with disinfectant and protective equipment, and keep up-to-date with the latest advice on disease control. Adapting to a changing world is also about helping everyone understand how they can play a part in improving farmed animal welfare.

We all have a part to play in helping people understand where their food comes from – and why choosing higher-welfare products matters. I encourage everyone who eats meat, fish, dairy and eggs to eat fewer lower-welfare products – and when they do eat them, to choose better, higher-welfare products.

Embrace the mud!

Working with pigs means embracing the outdoors – and yes, the mud.

In fact, mud is really important for pigs, and they have a natural instinct to wallow in it. It keeps them cool in hot weather and allows them to express their natural behaviour.

Fortunately, it’s usually not in short supply in the UK, which is good news for pigs on RSPCA Assured members’ farms.

But it does mean I spend a large chunk of my time washing mud off my car tyres – and don’t even mention the state of my wellies!

Keep an open mind

I grew up on a farm, so farming’s in my blood. But I didn’t necessarily want to go into farming myself and was just as interested in people as I was in animals.

So I became a lecturer at an agricultural college, teaching the next generation of farmers. Part of the curriculum I really loved teaching was about animals’ needs, and I could see the students were really keen to learn about improving animal welfare in farming.

That led me to find out more about RSPCA Assured, and when a job opportunity came up as an assessor, I jumped at the chance!

Interested in joining the team?

If you’d like to build a career improving farmed animal welfare, visit our careers page to find out about the latest opportunities.