RSPCA Assured, a farmed animal welfare certification scheme offered by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), has rebranded.
The organization said that its “refreshed brand colors and RSPCA Assured label are designed to make higher-welfare products even easier to spot – whether you’re shopping in your local supermarket or eating out.”
“Our fresh new look symbolizes much more than a rebrand; it’s a statement of intent,” RSPCA Assured Executive Director Toby Baker said. “We want to make higher welfare the norm, not the exception, and by 2050, we’re determined that more than half of the U.K.’s farmed animals will be living better lives under the RSPCA’s welfare standards."
The RSPCA said that there would be a transition period in which shoppers and diners would see both old and new RSPCA Assured designs on food packaging and menus but that its standards of animal welfare have not changed.
RSPCA Assured issues welfare certifications to a number of salmon and trout farms throughout the U.K., with standards requiring healthy water quality, correct space allowances for fish growth, minimized handling, and careful transportation.
“The standards cover all aspects of fish’s lives, including health, diet, water quality, environment, care, and handling – all of which make a huge difference to the welfare of millions of salmon and trout every year,” RSPCA Assured Assessor Giada Desperati said.
In a blog post about the news, RSPCA Assured Senior Marketing Manager Laura Blundell said that “tens of millions of animals [are] living better lives – with more space, enrichment, and the freedom to move around ... thanks to the hard work of our members and the compassionate choices made by shoppers.”
The organization has, in the past, revoked or suspended farms’ certifications amid allegations of fish abuse or during die-off events.
