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05.09.08

The RSPCA announced this week that it has been flooded with applications from farmers and producers to join its Freedom Food accredited scheme, the highest number since the scheme began almost 15 years ago.

The higher welfare market has been growing steadily for the last few years, and high-profile campaigns from Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have propelled the issue even further into consumers' priorities.

Now the RSPCA has reported that it has seen the largest number of applications from farms and producers to join the Freedom Food scheme since its inception. Totalling 115 in July alone, the RSPCA has seen a massive surge in applications, with pig producers topping the list with 68 in just one month.

Clear demand for higher welfare foods
"The fact that we have seen such a dramatic uptake in the scheme is very encouraging. There is a very clear demand for higher welfare foods, both from retailers and consumers, and these findings also show that there is ample opportunity for continued growth within the market," said John Akehurst, marketing controller of Freedom Food.

He added: "This is great news for farm animal welfare, and we hope the number of animals under Freedom Food will continue to leap forward as consumer demand rises and more farmers see the benefits inherent in adopting the scheme."

About Freedom Food
Freedom Food is a farm assurance and food labelling scheme set up by the RSPCA in 1994 to improve farm animal welfare and to address growing consumer demand for higher welfare produce.

The Freedom Food label enables shoppers to recognise higher welfare products - products that come from animals reared on farms inspected to strict RSPCA welfare standards, with assured traceability from farm to fork.

It is the only farm assurance scheme in the UK with improved welfare as its primary goal, and is completely independent from the food industry.

photo © Freedom Food