‘Horror’ at RSPCA Assured farms revealed

Lobbying

Animal Justice Project, a leading animal advocacy group, conducted the covert investigation between September 2023 and January 2024 at prominent RSPCA Assured free-range egg farms affiliated with the directors of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, which claims to be “the voice of the British free-range egg industry”. 

Ayrton Cooper, the campaigns manager for Animal Justice Project, said: “We are urging consumers to go beyond the illusion of ‘cage-free’ and embrace a truly compassionate choice by opting for egg-free alternatives. 

“Despite the glossy advertising campaigns promoting ‘cage-free’ eggs, the reality is far from humane. What our investigation has uncovered is a stark reminder that labels can be deceiving, and behind the façade of ‘cage-free’ lies a world of suffering for millions of hens. 

“It’s time for consumers to question the ethics behind their food choices and demand transparency and accountability from the food industry. By transitioning to plant-based alternatives, we not only safeguard the rights of animals but also pave the way for a more sustainable and ethical future.”

RSPCA Assured’s own survey confirms that 87 per cent of the British public value hen welfare. More than 70 per cent of eggs sold in the UK were in 2022 from cage-free hens and all major retailers in the UK have pledged to exclusively sell ‘cage-free’ eggs by 2025.

Audits

Despite this commitment, the unsettling video footage reveals a troubling reality of the conditions endured by cage-free hens. It depicts thousands of birds confined within expansive, factory-style sheds, denied access to the outdoors.

Animal Justice Project claims that RSPCA Assured bowed to industry pressure – including lobbying from the farm owners who have been found to have breached even the most basic standards – and watered down its requirements for animal welfare procedures. 

In November 2023, BFREPA, along with the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), jointly sent a letter to the RSPCA Assured certification scheme outlining ‘serious and significant’ concerns over the introduction of new standards, including verandas and natural light for hens. 

As a result, RSPCA Assured backed down and amended the proposed changes, removing the deadline for free-range verandas and extending the timeframe for providing daylight to free-range hens to seven years.

A BFREPA spokesperson said: “UK free range and organic egg farms work to the very highest standards of hen welfare and are subject to a rigorous auditing schedule by numerous food safety and animal welfare certification bodies. After reviewing the footage, RSPCA Assured carried out audits at all the sites last week. As a result of the visits to the farms, two of the farms have been reinstated to the RSPCA Assured scheme. Work to reinstate the third farm is continuing.” 

Mistreatment

The Animal Justice Project investigation revealed “distressing scenes of overcrowding, neglect, and bullying” at Harper Farm in Leeds. The footage also shows extensive feather loss, bags of deceased birds, no access to the outside for hens, injuries, growths and sick hens; as well as and injured hens unable to reach food or water on upper tiers, and dead and decaying bodies on the lower tier.

Harper Farms is RSPCA Assured and supplies Sainsburys. The farm is owned by Jack Stephenson, who is a director of BFREPA. Charlie Stephenson, the farm’s owner until he passed away, was said to be a ‘stalwart’ of the free-range egg industry. He was a member of the BFREPA steering group, and one of the early members of RSPCA Assured, then called Freedom Food, and helped to develop systems used under the Freedom Food scheme.

A spokesperson for Animal Justice Project said: “Harper Farm in Leeds stood out for the most obvious animal suffering. One hen was filmed being pecked to death over several hours, while another suffered extensive injuries, with a raw and bloody head and apparent eye damage. Dead birds littered the shed, and numerous health issues plagued the flock, including large growths, bent combs, limping, cannibalism, severe feather loss, and prolapses.”

The investigators also found instances of illness, evidence of cannibalism, dead birds in nest boxes and lying across feeders, featherloss, and neglect at Pauline Anne Jones’ family farm in Powys. The ammonia was so strong inside the farm, the Animal Justice Project investigator recalled, that it “burned” their eyes.

The farm, run by her husband, Richard Jones, supplies RSPCA Assured Sheriff’s Wood Eggs to Stonegate. Pauline Anne Jones is also a BFREPA director. A spokesperson for Stonegate said: “The care and welfare of our flocks are of the utmost importance to us, and we take allegations of mistreatment of birds very seriously. On receiving the footage, we immediately suspended the farm in question pending both our own investigation and the reports of qualified independent veterinarians.