Campaign aims to boost farm animal welfare
A campaign run by the RSPCA's Freedom Food scheme this week (July 15-21) is attempting to improve public knowledge of farm animal welfare.
As part of Farm Animal Week, people are being encouraged to find out more about how farm animals are reared, and to choose higher welfare products.
In honour of the campaign, shoppers are urged to swap one item in their shopping baskets for a higher welfare product, and Sainsbury's will be donating 5p to the RSPCA each time selected Freedom Food products are purchased.
To mark Farm Animal Week, Freedom Food also carried out a survey to find out how much people know about the welfare of farm animals.
The survey is reported to have revealed some strange results. For example, when given a list of delicacies, which included two spoof options, one in ten people who take part claimed to have eaten "chicken trotters", and 8 per cent said they had tasted "pig's wings".
Freedom Foods have called the results "worrying" and say it is time people reconnected with where their food comes from and the lives of the animals that produce it.
David Squair, chief executive of Freedom Foods, said: "If more people choose higher welfare labels like Freedom Food, more farmers will be encouraged to adopt higher welfare standards and more farm animals will have a better life."
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
