By unlocking the export potential China offers the pig industry, not to mention the red meat sector as a whole, we could gain entry into a marketplace which comprises a fifth of the world’s population.Consumers unaware of animal welfare – Freedom Food boss
THE head of the RSPCA’s food assurance scheme has claimed most consumers are ignorant about the lives of the animals that go into the food they buy.
To mark the launch of its Farm Animal Week today (July 26), Freedom Food has published the results of a YouGov survey showing how little consumers know about some aspects of they way animals are farmed.
Its survey shows, for example, that just 16 per cent of people know ‘most of the chickens’ farmed in Britain meat are slaughtered at around 35 days old. The majority (59 per cent) thought chickens live for three months.
Freedom Food said the survey also revealed that:
- 69 per cent of people did not know the average dairy cow produces 12,471 pints of milk a year (or 34 pints a day) – with the highest number (44 per cent) thinking they produced less than half that amount, 5,341 pints a year.
- 75 per cent did not know that ‘farmed male turkeys’ chests are so huge they are unable to mate naturally’.
- 61 per cent didn’t know that more than half (55 per cent) of egg laying hens are still kept in ‘cruel battery cages’.
Freedom Food chief executive Leigh Grant, said: “If people knew more about the lives of animals farmed for our food, I think they would care more about the food they buy. Many don’t realise the link between the labels they choose and how farm animals are looked after.”
He said consumers’ really do have the power to change’ the way farm animals are reared, citing the 26 per cent increase in the number of pigs reared to Freedom Food standards over the last two years ‘as a direct result of consumer demand’.
“During Farm Animal Week we are asking everyone to switch one item in their shopping basket for a higher welfare alternative,” he said.
Freedom Food is also urging people to find out more about the lives of farm animals by logging onto a website set up to mark the awareness week: www.freedomfood.co.uk/farmanimalweek
The RSPCA is launching a brand new campaign called ‘Think Pig’ on Thursday (July 29), which will aim to ‘get people thinking more about the pork products they buy’.
Freedom Food (FF) announced earlier this year that 532 million farm animals (including 440 million farmed salmon) are being reared to RSPCA standards under its scheme, 46 per cent up on 2008 levels.
The scheme covers chickens, turkeys, laying hens, ducks, pigs, sheep, salmon and dairy and beef cattle.
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Readers' comments (7)
mo | 27 July 2010 2:43 pm
A good majority of to-days consumers do not care about the welfare of the animal while it is alive or indeed at dead weight when they purchase it.They dont have to see the conditions ,and as long as the finished product fits their budget its a case of "out of sight out of mind" they dont feel guilty then .The RSPCA and ANIMAL WELFARE should visit supermarkets who are the biggest and worst offenders of uncaring,and be allowed to give out leaflets on this matter then perhaps the general public will come to realise just exactly what the animal has to go through to fill their stomachs.
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Anonymous | 28 July 2010 10:16 am
I notice not a word on the lower welfare standards of imported meat [even within the EU]
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Diana Wellings | 29 July 2010 12:56 pm
Interesting fact: a few weeks ago an RSPCA Freedom Food sign was spotted on the wall of infamous Essex slaughterhouse A & Barber. Obvious and cruel abuse of pigs before slaughter was filmed in April by AnimalAid. See here http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/f/CAMPAIGNS/blog//4//?be_id=268
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Betty Bennett | 3 August 2010 8:36 am
Just because people dont care, doesn't mean we aren't looking after our animals to the very highest standards! I don't think the RSPCA standards are as good as ours, because we are responsible for our animals 24/7, they get better treatment than our family!!!
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Anonymous | 1 November 2010 8:52 pm
Given the media coverage on some of the farms that hold the freedom food symbol I don't know where I stand on this. What good is a seal of approval when you approve something that breaks the regulations you even wrote.
I prey conditions like that aren't approved today, I will continue to support monthly but I hope errors like that arent made again...
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geoff hill | 8 November 2010 5:02 pm
the rspca has a vested interest in freedom foods therefor how can there involvment be impartial or without prejudice. there is a great deal of money to be made in this and it should be properly regulated
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GoVegan | 6 November 2011 12:02 pm
The carnivore is over. Go vegan.
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