It’s our birthday! Here’s 31 reasons to celebrate with us

It’s the year that brought us a bumper crop of iconic events - with the premiere of cult sitcom Friends, the first National Lottery draw, the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the launch of the game-changing Sony PlayStation. And when it comes to farming and the food choices we make, 1994 was also a landmark year, with the launch of RSPCA Assured (then called Freedom Food). 

More than three decades later, we’ve helped millions of farmed animals lead better lives, and millions of shoppers to choose higher-welfare products. And to mark our birthday, we’ve put together 31 reasons to celebrate the impact we’ve had by working with farms, retailers and consumers.

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  1. Formed in 1994, RSPCA Assured is still the only farm animal assurance scheme dedicated entirely to animal welfare. This means that meat, fish, eggs and dairy products that carry our label have come from farms following world-leading welfare standards set out by the RSPCA.

  2. Did we say world-leading? We meant it. To carry the RSPCAAssured label, members must meet hundreds of welfare standards - more than 1,200 for salmon and more than 700 for laying hens, meat chickens, pigs and dairy cows.

  3. Together with the RSPCA, we led the work on CCTV usage in abattoirs, making it mandatory in those certified by RSPCA Assured in 2011 - seven years before it became a legal requirement in England, Wales and Scotland.

  4. Most of the Scottish farmed salmon industry is now certified by RSPCA Assured. That’s around 30 million fish a year that are now being kept in higher-welfare conditions.

  5. We never allow egg-laying hens to be kept in cages on RSPCA Assured-certified farms.

  6. Heat stress was recognised as a concern in our changing climate in 2023, when we introduced guidelines for sheep farmers to be aware of the signs and monitor sheep more closely in hot weather.

  7. Our assessors are a busy bunch - spread across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, they regularly visit all our member farms to check standards are met, offer advice and carry out welfare checks.

  8. New standards introduced in 2023 mean that beef cows from RSPCA Assured-certified farms now enjoy more time at pasture, at least four hours a day.

No cages, ever

  1. We insist that all our member farms provide boredom-busting enrichment activities for their animals. These include suspended lengths of rope for turkeys to peck at, brushes for cows to rub against and straw for pigs to root about in.

  2. We don’t allow fast-track fattening up - as far back as 2006, we put checks in place to prevent rapid growth rate in chickens on RSPCA Assured-certified farms, helping reduce health problems and allowing more natural behaviours.

  3. Many of the UK’s leading supermarkets now stock at least some RSPCA Assured-certified products. And if they don’t, you can use our Lobby Your Supermarket tool to ask them to stock up.

  4. It’s not just supermarkets where you’ll find RSPCA Assured labelled products - McDonald’s UK became one of the biggest names in the food service market to commit to using 100% pork from RSPCA Assured certified farms in 2013 and has served free-range eggs for over 20 years.

  5. Shockingly, around 20% of eggs still come from caged birds, despite public opposition to the practice*. The easiest way to make sure you don’t inadvertently buy eggs from caged birds is to look out for the RSPCA Assured label.

  6. We do not allow the use of cages or crates for animals on any RSPCA Assured-certified farms.

  7. We’re ambitious for the future - we want at least 50% of UK farmed animals to be reared to RSPCA welfare standards by 2030.

  8. There’s now a huge choice for people buying higher welfare meat, dairy, eggs and fish, with around 1,800 RSPCA Assured-labelled products.

Choose higher welfare by looking for the RSPCA Assured label

  1. There are around 4,000 members signed up to RSPCA Assured.

  2. We support higher welfare in farming beyond the UK and have member farms overseas, including in Belgium, France, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Spain.

  3. Created by the RSPCA in 1994 as Freedom Food, we changed our name to RSPCA Assured in 2015.

  4. Millions of animals are raised on RSPCA Assured member farms each year, accounting for about half of all laying hens, 23% of pigs, and more than 80% of farmed Scottish salmon.

  5. We have a voice at the table on animal welfare in farming - along with our RSPCA colleagues, we meet regularly with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

  6. Hens have a strong instinct to perch - typically on a ledge or bar above ground level. It helps them feel safe and secure, and that’s why perches are mandatory on RSPCA Assured member farms.

Hens Dusting
  1. RSPCA Assured member farms follow hundreds of standards developed by experts at the RSPCA. These are constantly being updated to reflect the very latest research and development in animal welfare and to react to challenges like bird flu.

  1. We don’t just assess farms for higher welfare - we look at every stage of a farmed animal’s life. That means hauliers and slaughterhouses must also follow higher welfare standards if a product is to be labelled as RSPCA Assured.

Together, we give farmed animals a better quality of life

  1. RSPCA Assured is a non-profit charity and funds its vital work in raising welfare standards through a licence fee and membership fee and every penny goes back into our work to improve the welfare of animals.

  2. We work closely with the RSPCA to bring an end to lower welfare farming. You can help by signing up to their campaign to ban cages and give farmed animals a better quality of life.

  3. Still legal in the UK, farrowing crates for pregnant and nursing pigs are banned on RSPCA Assured member farms.

  4. Dust baths are essential for hens and chickens - not only does it keep their feathers and skin in good condition, it also helps remove parasites. That’s why access to dust baths is mandatory on RSPCA Assured-certified farms.

  5. Hens on RSPCA Assured member farms are inspected at least three times a day - much more than the legal requirement of once a day.

  6. Nearly one in four pigs in the UK is now raised under RSPCA welfare standards.

  7. Live exports - where animals are subjected to long, traumatic journeys - are not allowed under the RSPCA Assured scheme. After many years of tireless campaigning by the RSPCA, we were thrilled to see this practice finally banned by the Government last year.

* 85.31% of people said it’s not acceptable for hens to be kept in cages - a survey of 1,000 UK adults carried out by Survey Monkey in February 2022. Three-quarters of Brits said hen welfare is important to them and two-thirds said they look for either the RSPCA Assured logo or free-range label when buying eggs. Research carried out by Opinium amongst 2,000 UK adults in February 2024.

About the author

Toby Baker -Executive Director

A passionate advocate for farm animal welfare, Toby's proud that RSPCA Assured has helped improve the lives of millions of farm animals since it was launched 30 years ago.

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