FAQs

Q. If you care about animals, why are you targeting the RSPCA?

A. We're celebrating the RSPCA's 200th year with them and support all the amazing work they've done for many animals. However, the RSPCA fails to protect the largest group of animals who are suffering the most – animals who are farmed. Their RSPCA Assured scheme misleads the animal-loving public that animals can be farmed without cruelty.

By assuring standard farming practices that involve extreme suffering (such as mother-baby separation, mutilations, confining animals in crowded, stressful conditions, and slaughter) the RSPCA is promoting the very cruelty it aims to prevent. By writing this open letter to the RSPCA, we hope to inspire them to be a bolder leader for all animals by dropping the RSPCA Assured scheme and promoting a transition to a kinder, more sustainable plant-based future that benefits all of us.

Q. What is welfare-washing?

A. Welfare-washing is when companies claim that their practices are kind to animals in order to appear ethical and compassionate, even though they involve harmful treatment that denies the freedom and wellbeing of animals. Just like green-washing falsely promotes harmful products as environmentally friendly, welfare-washing is a misleading tactic used to maintain public support while concealing cruelty and neglect to animals. RSPCA Assured is an example of welfare-washing, where the label is advertised as certifying that animals are farmed ‘ethically’, while undercover investigations have exposed that the majority of RSPCA Assured farms involve heart-breaking levels of animal cruelty.

Q. If the RSPCA drop the Assured scheme, won't welfare standards be even worse for animals who are farmed?

A. The RSPCA Assured scheme fails to enforce higher welfare standards and also assures intensive farms that often don't meet even basic welfare standards. Almost 100 investigations over the past 16 years have shown shocking and heart-breaking levels of animal suffering in RSPCA Assured farms. The scheme has not significantly improved the wellbeing of farmed animals in its 30-year existence. Instead, more animals are being farmed and killed every year, and the RSPCA is assuring more intensive farms. The scheme misleads the animal-loving public that animals can farmed without cruelty, and it holds us back from making meaningful change as a caring society and a nation of animal lovers. By dropping the Assured scheme, the RSPCA can send a powerful message that all animals matter and the RSPCA is bold enough to lead the way towards a kinder, more sustainable future for all of us.

Q. Is RSPCA Assured unbiased and free from industry influence?

A. Sadly, no. RSPCA Assured is funded by the farming industry. RSPCA Assured has an advisory board for every species of animal who is farmed, and on every advisory board sits an industry representative. This means that standards that the RSPCA are trying to improve are quickly watered down due to industry pressure. 

Q. What kind of farms and practices does the RSPCA assure?

A. Despite stating on its website that the RSPCA and RSPCA Assured are against intensive farming, the RSPCA is assuring more and more factory farms. Standard industry practices - such as separating newborn calves from their mothers, mutilations, confining animals in overcrowded, stressful conditions and gassing animals to death - are common on RSPCA-Assured farms and slaughterhouses. In short, RSPCA Assured standards do little to alleviate the suffering of farmed animals.

Q. Is it possible to farm animals compassionately?

A. Forcibly breeding, confining, separating mothers and babies, and slaughtering animals involves immense suffering and denies animals the freedom to live free from harm and to live their lives as they choose. Just as many people believe farming and killing dogs and cats is cruel and unnecessary, a growing number of people also see farming and killing any animal as cruel and unnecessary. Ultimately, there is no compassionate way to confine someone their entire life when they want to be free, and there is no compassionate way to kill someone who doesn't want to die.

Q. Don't we need to eat animals to be healthy?

A. All major dietetic associations have confirmed that a healthy plant-based or vegan diet is suitable for all ages and stages of life. The NHS in the UK also confirms that a healthy vegan or plant-based diet is able to meet all our nutritional needs. In fact, many of the longest-living communities and cultures are predominantly plant-based.

There are well-established health benefits of an animal-free diet, including lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. For more information on eating a plant-based diet, you can read the Plant-Based Eatwell Guide.

Q. If we stop farming animals, won't they go extinct?

A. Farmed animals have been selectively bred over generations for specific traits that benefit agricultural production (such as being more docile and having bigger bodies), often at the expense of their health and wellbeing. Most species of animals who are farmed have existed in their current forms for less than 100 years. Without farming, the populations of these selectively bred animals would naturally decrease, but this would not be the same as extinction in nature. These animals are not naturally occurring species but are the result of human intervention.

When the rate of farming animals declines, existing farmed animals can be cared for in sanctuaries, where they can live out their lives in more natural settings. Farming animals is also a leading driver of species extinction, so by moving away from farming animals, we can help prevent the extinction of other animals. 

Q. Won't ending animal agriculture harm farmers and their livelihoods?

A. Moving away from farming animals presents an opportunity to transform farming in a way that can benefit both farmers and the planet. Transition programs can help farmers make the shift to growing plant-based foods. And current government subsidies for farming animals can be redirected to plant-based agriculture to further support farmers. Farmers can diversify their income by incorporating alternative agricultural practices, like growing high-value crops, engaging in agroforestry, or producing plant-based proteins.

This diversification not only provides financial stability but also helps farmers adapt to changing market demands and environmental conditions. A shift towards a plant-based future can lead to increased profitability and sustainability, creating a win-win situation for farmers and the planet.

Q. Isn't the best way to produce food by regenerative agriculture, which uses animals?

A. Regenerative agriculture refers to any form of farming that improves the environment and focuses on soil health. Many ecologically managed crop farms operate without farmed animals. Nutrient cycling, often cited as a reason for including animals, naturally occurs through soil microorganisms and earthworms, which incorporate biomass into the soil without the pollution associated with animal manure. Claims about the benefits of grazing cows for soil health and carbon sequestration are also disputed due to insufficient evidence and the significant greenhouse gas emissions they produce. Conservation agriculture is a form of regenerative agriculture that does not use animals as standard, and it provides the foundation for a future food system that is sustainable and just for all.

Have another question or want to contact us about something else?

You can reach out to us at: openletter@ForCharlie.love