Brian May resigns from RSPCA over ‘appalling’ animal welfare standards in farms

Sir Brian May has resigned arsenic the RSPCA’s vice president implicit what helium called “appalling” carnal payment standards successful farms certified nether its scheme.

The certified RSPCA Assured label, which indicates that meat, fish, eggs and dairy products person been produced to strict standards which transcend the UK’s ineligible requirements, is being reviewed by the carnal payment organisation.

Almost 4,000 farms enactment successful the scheme, which means they tin usage the statement to pass supermarket shoppers of their superior carnal payment standards.

Queen guitarist Sir Brian, who has agelong campaigned connected carnal payment rights, and is simply a co-founder of the Save Me Trust, which campaigns for the rights of foxes and badgers, shared his missive of resignation connected Instagram.

The missive read: “It is with profound sadness and not without monolithic soul-searching that contiguous I person to connection my resignation arsenic a vice-president of the RSPCA.

“You person kept maine informed done the Save Me Trust of complaints that person been levelled successful caller months astatine the RSPCA implicit appallingly atrocious standards of carnal payment successful subordinate farms of the RSPCA Assured scheme.

“I person understood that the RSPCA needed clip to measure the grounds and marque decisions connected enactment to beryllium taken. But arsenic much and much damning grounds comes to light, I find the RSPCA’s effect wholly inadequate.”

He added that arsenic the supervision of the strategy has “failed”, it needs to beryllium dismantled.

Sir Brian besides said: “I americium successful afloat acknowledgment of the fantastic enactment that the RSPCA has done implicit the years, and I americium heartbroken to beryllium withdrawing my enactment from the day-to-day enactment performed by truthful galore heroes connected the crushed each day.”

He added that helium understood the “danger of weakening the RSPCA, and playing into the hands of the pro-cruelty organisations which the RSPCA has been instrumental successful prosecuting”.

However, helium “cannot successful each conscience stay a figurehead of the organisation portion the RSCPA avoids its work to enactment its location successful order”.

Allegations see overcrowding, mediocre hygiene, and successful immoderate cases, carnal maltreatment of livestock by workplace workers.

TV presenter Chris Packham, president of the RSPCA, besides called for the strategy to beryllium suspended.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said it has been “very arrogant to person Brian May, a passionate campaigner for animals, arsenic our vice president and we stock his tendency to make a amended satellite for each animals”, but added that it has “different views from Brian connected however champion to attack this analyzable challenge”.

She besides said they “respect his views and recognize his decision” earlier adding: “We would similar to convey him for everything helium has done for the RSPCA, our staff, volunteers, supporters and, of course, the animals, during his clip arsenic vice president.

“His ongoing and devoted enactment campaigning connected issues specified arsenic the badger cull and hunting person been invaluable for each animals and we look guardant to speaking up connected these issues with him successful the future.”

The spokeswoman besides called farming “hard, and farmed carnal payment is adjacent harder”, and the “reality is 94% of radical presently take to devour meat”.

“The accelerated maturation of debased payment concern farming is the biggest payment contented facing animals,” she added.

“There are billions of animals being farmed close present successful appalling conditions, with nary respect for their welfare.

“There is presently nary circumstantial ineligible extortion for salmon, trout, turkeys, dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep, and without our standards galore millions of farmed animals would unrecorded worse lives.

“But we privation to springiness our supporters, partners and the nationalist assurance that RSPCA Assured is consistently delivering amended payment than modular farming practices.

“So, we launched an autarkic reappraisal of RSPCA Assured, which has been carried retired implicit respective months, including unannounced visits to much than 200 members of the scheme. Once we person analysed our findings, we volition instrumentality immoderate robust enactment necessary.”