Behind the scenes of the RSPCA Assured radio advert

My job is all about supporting my brilliant team of highly-trained assessors to help them check that RSPCA Assured member farms meet the RSPCA’s higher animal welfare standards.

So sitting in a recording studio with a microphone in front of me was a bit outside my usual routine.

It was a brilliant experience, a chance to do something a little different – and share with people what we do on farms to encourage people to buy RSPCA Assured-labelled food.

The checks we do on farms don’t stop at the farm gate – they connect directly with the choices shoppers make in the supermarket.

Recording the RSPCA Assured radio ad

The aim of the RSPCA Assured radio advert is simple: to give listeners a sense of what happens during a farm assessment and why it matters.

It begins with the familiar sounds of arriving at a laying hen farm – a car door closing, footsteps on gravel, and the gentle clucking of hens nearby. These sounds place listeners right there with me.

For many people, visiting a farm isn’t something they’ll ever have the chance to do, partly because of strict biosecurity measures.

The RSPCA Assured radio ad helps bring that world to life and shows how we check animals are cared for to the RSPCA’s higher welfare standards.

A new way to share the message

Reaching people through radio is something new for RSPCA Assured and, for me, it feels like an important step.

Life’s busy, and most people don’t have time to stop and read about farmed animal welfare in detail. But radio fits into everyday life – whether you’re driving to work, cooking dinner or getting ready in the morning.

You can hear the ad on the Absolute Radio network and Greatest Hits Radio, helping bring a little bit of the farm straight to you, wherever you are.

If this RSPCA Assured radio advert helps more people understand what happens behind the scenes on farms, then it’s doing its job.

And if listeners take away just one thing, I hope it’s this: when you’re shopping, look for the RSPCA Assured label.

A real voice behind the radio advert

This radio ad is a bit different because it’s coming straight from someone who’s actually been out on farms, seeing firsthand how the animals are looked after – that’s me.

My team at RSPCA Assured spends a lot of time visiting farms and seeing first-hand how animals are looked after. It’s a job I care deeply about, because good farmed animal welfare really matters.

During our visits, we check farmers are meeting the RSPCA’s strict higher welfare standards.

For example, hens on RSPCA Assured members’ farms – like all animals covered by the scheme – can never be kept in cages.

We also look at things like the animals’ environment, enrichment (such as straw bales and objects for laying hens to peck at), health and behaviour.

These are the kinds of checks most shoppers never see, but they’re an important part of improving welfare for farmed animals.

Doing the farm visits for you

Most people care about animal welfare, but understandably can’t visit farms themselves to see how animals are treated.

That’s where RSPCA Assured comes in.

Our job is to carry out those checks and make sure farms are meeting the standards. In many ways, we’re doing those farm visits on behalf of the people buying the food.

This idea sits right at the heart of the RSPCA Assured radio advert.

Helping shoppers make a better choice

Life’s busy, and most of us don’t have time to investigate how every product we buy has been produced. That’s why RSPCA Assured makes such a difference.

The RSPCA Assured radio ad ends with a simple reminder: if you choose to eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy, look for the RSPCA Assured label when you’re shopping.

It shows products come from farms that have met the RSPCA’s higher welfare standards – and makes it easier for shoppers to make a better choice, even on the busiest day.

From wellies to the studio – and back again

Stepping into a city recording studio was definitely outside my usual routine. But it was a brilliant opportunity to share a little of what we do every day – and why it matters for farmed animals.

Once the microphones were switched off, it was straight back to the real work. And that’s the part of the job I’m always proud to return to: improving the lives of farmed animals.

You can hear our brand new ad on the Absolute Radio network or Greatest Hits Radio, so keep an ear out between your favourite tunes from Monday 23 March until Sunday 12 April.

Author biography

Mark Robertson is a regional assessment manager at RSPCA Assured, where he leads a team of assessors who carry out assessments, including farms keeping laying hens, chickens, pigs and turkeys. He also recruits and supports assessors and delivers training.

Outside work, Mark has previously served as a trustee of the Southdown Sheep Society. He’s also a member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

He lives with his wife and two daughters, their dog Dougie and tortoises Charlie and Lola.