Choosing higher welfare meat, fish, eggs and dairy
Higher-welfare farming gives animals more opportunity to live healthy, comfortable lives and behave naturally.
By looking for RSPCA Assured-labelled products when you shop and choosing higher-welfare meat, fish, eggs and dairy, you can help increase demand for higher welfare standards and improve the lives of farmed animals.
What is higher-welfare farming?
Higher-welfare farming means giving farmed animals the space, environment and care they need to be healthy and comfortable, and express their natural behaviours.
That might mean chickens having room to move around, perch and explore, pigs having straw to root in, cows spending time grazing outdoors, or fish having enough space to swim in good-quality water.
Sadly, most farmed animals in the UK aren't kept this way. Instead they’re farmed to lower-welfare standards, often called factory farms, where animals may be kept in cramped or barren conditions, unable to move freely or behave naturally. Some are bred to grow so quickly that they can suffer painful health problems.
Find out more about the problems with intensive farming.
What are animals' five welfare needs?
Under the Animal Welfare Act, anyone responsible for an animal must make sure five welfare needs are met:
- a suitable environment
- a suitable diet
- the ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
- being housed with, or apart from, other animals as appropriate
- protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease
Is higher-welfare farming the same as organic farming?
Not necessarily. Organic standards include some requirements around animal welfare, but organic and higher welfare aren't the same thing.
If animal welfare matters to you when you're shopping, look for a recognised welfare label - such as RSPCA Assured - to help you make an informed choice.
Does higher-welfare food cost more?
Sometimes. Higher-welfare meat and other animal products can sometimes cost more because producing food to higher welfare standards can involve additional costs.
You don't have to change everything you buy to make a difference. Choosing higher welfare when you can helps support better lives for farmed animals.
RSPCA Assured welfare standards
One way to choose higher welfare is to look for the RSPCA Assured label.
RSPCA Assured is an independent farm assurance scheme dedicated to improving the welfare of farmed animals. Members must meet the RSPCA's detailed farmed animal welfare standards, which cover animals' lives from birth to slaughter.
RSPCA Assured members are regularly assessed to make sure these standards are being met. The standards are also reviewed and developed as animal welfare science and knowledge improve.
Find out more about the RSPCA’s farm welfare standards.
What does higher welfare farming mean for different types of farmed animals?
Higher welfare looks different for each type of farmed animal. The RSPCA's welfare standards are designed around the particular physical and behavioural needs of each species.
Chickens and hens
Chickens are active, curious animals that naturally spend their time exploring, foraging and socialising.
Under RSPCA Assured certification, laying hens aren't kept in cages. They have enrichment that allows them to perch, peck and explore.
For chickens raised for meat, the RSPCA’s welfare standards only allow slower-growing higher-welfare breeds, helping to reduce some of the serious health and mobility problems associated with faster growth.
Choosing higher-welfare chicken and eggs can help support these better farming practices.
Pigs
Pigs are intelligent, inquisitive animals with a strong natural drive to explore and root around.
Under RSPCA Assured-certification, mother pigs aren't kept in farrowing crates. Pigs have space to move around and comfortable material like straw for resting and rooting. Those kept outdoors also have access to mud so they can wallow and cool themselves down.
Cows
Cows need space to move around and rest, as well as opportunities to graze and groom.
Dairy and beef cattle on RSPCA Assured-certified farms have access to outdoor grazing for at least four hours a day during spring and summer. The RSPCA standards also include comfortable resting areas, cow brushes for grooming and veterinary health plans.
Sheep
Sheep need space to exercise, socialise, graze and rest.
Under RSPCA standards, grazing must provide most of their nutrition and sheep must be sheared at least once a year. Newborn lambs must also be given the opportunity to suckle colostrum from their mothers, which provides important early nutrition and immune protection.
Salmon and Trout
Salmon and trout need good-quality water and enough space to swim.
Under RSPCA standards, salmon and trout have more space to swim in good-quality water. Requirements also cover handling and transport, with handling kept to a minimum to help reduce stress.
Turkeys
Turkeys naturally spend their time exploring, foraging and interacting with their environment.
Under RSPCA standards, they have space to move around, exercise and flap their wings. They also have clean, dry bedding, natural light and enrichment such as straw bales and hanging objects to investigate and peck.
Take action for farmed animals
Your food choices matter more than you think. Looking for higher-welfare food is one way to help. You can also learn more about the animals behind our food, make small changes to what you eat and support our work to improve farmed animals’ lives with the links below.
