More than 200 farms have been inspected by animal welfare authorities following allegations that one of the UK’s largest food certification schemes is not enforcing legal standards, according to the BBC.

RSPCA Assured, which covers nearly 4,000 farms, is intended to assure shoppers that the food they purchase meets higher welfare standards.

However, a combination of 60 campaign groups is urging the scheme to be discontinued, referring to their undercover investigations at approximately 40 farms that revealed welfare issues.

In response to these concerns, the RSPCA began an investigation and a broader review of the scheme, including unannounced visits to more than 200 randomly selected member farms.

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Earlier this year, animal welfare activists organised undercover filming on RSPCA Assured farms, which they claimed showed violations of legal standards and regulations. The footage allegedly showed overcrowding, poor hygiene, unacceptable health conditions, and in severe cases, physical abuse of livestock by farm workers.

At the time, Chris Packham, president of the RSPCA, called for a pause of the RSPCA Assured scheme.

RSPCA Assured stated that it launched an immediate investigation upon receiving the footage, visiting all the identified member farms. It was revealed that eight of the farms were not members of the scheme.

The organisation reported that two members were removed from the scheme and five others were ‘sanctioned’, which could involve measures such as ‘advice, formal warnings, or additional actions like unannounced visits’.

A separate, thorough review of the scheme, covering meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, has also been carried out over several months.

The RSPCA clarified that the inspections of over 200 farms were based on a random selection and were not prompted by specific animal welfare concerns.

A spokeswoman said: “We commissioned this review as we want to give our supporters, partners and the public confidence that RSPCA Assured is consistently delivering better welfare than standard farming practices.”

On Thursday, an open letter calling for the immediate termination of the scheme was sent to the RSPCA. It was signed by 60 animal welfare organisations, including Animal Rising, Animal Aid, PETA, and Animal Justice Project, along with celebrities such as Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, and Bryan Adams.

The letter accused the scheme of ‘welfare-washing animal cruelty and misleading the public’.

Ayesha Smart a specialist animal welfare barrister supporting the campaign said the undercover footage she reviewed showed legal breaches on RSPCA Assured farms.

She stated that ‘the scheme cannot legitimately claim to ensure the welfare of farmed animals and is no longer fit for purpose’.

Rose Patterson from the Animal Rising campaign group added that the RSPCA needed ‘to be a true leader for all animals and stop welfare-washing animal cruelty’.

The RSPCA Assured scheme, initially known as Freedom Food, was launched 30 years ago.

Certified farms are required to adhere to strict welfare standards set by RSPCA welfare scientists, which are stricter than the legal requirements in the UK.

Products from farms that meet these standards can carry the RSPCA Assured label in supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco, as well as in restaurants including McDonald’s and Frankie & Benny’s.

The RSPCA emphasised that both the organisation and the RSPCA Assured scheme take any welfare concerns on farms very seriously.

A spokeswoman stated: “Failure to conform to the scheme standards is unacceptable.”

She added that once the review’s findings have been evaluated, ‘we will take any necessary robust action’.