Our views on vegetarianism

We’re often asked why we’re not a vegetarian or vegan society.

Whilst we respect those who choose a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle and the personal commitment it takes, we take the view that we must campaign for the highest possible standards of animal welfare in all areas.

We understand that the majority of the general public do eat animal products and, therefore, one of our aims is to raise awareness of how farm animals are reared, transported and slaughtered and the welfare issues of farm animals. 

Empowering consumers

As more and more people become aware of these issues, we hope that they will be able to make better-informed decisions about the food they choose.

We always encourage people to choose ‘higher welfare’ products such as our Freedom Food labelled food, which is an assurance that the rearing, transportation and slaughter of the animal involved in producing the food have been inspected to our strict welfare standards. 

The farm animal welfare standards are designed to ensure that all animals are reared according to the requirements and have everything they need for a good quality of life. 
 

From the very beginning

We've been concered about the welfare of farm animals since 1824, when Arthur Broome arranged the very first meeting of the SPCA.

Richard Martin, who attended that meeting, had two years previously piloted an Act through parliament that had at first been titled 'A Bill to prevent the cruel and improper treatment of cattle'. However, the Act in fact protected 'any horse, cow, ox, heifer, steer, sheep, or other cattle'.

The result of that meeting was the decision to form two committees - one to "adopt measures for inspecting the markets and streets of the Metropolis, the slaughter houses, the conduct of coachmen etc"; the other to "superintend the publication of tracts, sermons, and similar modes of influencing public opinion". This still forms the basis of our work today - enforcement of animal welfare laws and education.

Take a step back in time and find out more about our history.

Help us improve the lives of farm animals!

By working with the government, consumers, retailers, farmers, stock-keepers and other key organisations we’ve achieved a lot for farm animals. But there’s still so much do!

Whatever you choose to eat, you can help to improve the welfare of farm animals by supporting our farm animal campaigns and the work of Freedom Food.

Join our campaign network and help us spread the word about the issues surrounding the welfare of farmed animals today.