Chris Packham and Caroline Lucas quit charity roles over animal cruelty claims
Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and former Greens MP Caroline Lucas have resigned as president and vice-president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) after A campaign group has accused some of the charity’s approved slaughterhouses of animal cruelty.
Animal Rising has released videos of some facilities as part of its investigation into the RSPCA’s Assurance Scheme, which certifies farms, food producers and food retailers to meet its specific animal welfare standards.
In response, the RSPCA said it took allegations of poor animal welfare “extremely seriously”.
The charity said suggestions there had been no urgent action were “simply untrue”, adding that undercover visits had increased significantly and the use of body cameras and CCTV was also being explored.
In its most recent investigation, Animals Rising singled out four slaughterhouses, saying “experts uncovered systemic animal cruelty”.
The agency said investigators found that “at one abattoir, 85 per cent of pigs were mistakenly stunned, causing the animals to remain conscious during the slaughtering process; at another, 96 per cent of cattle were gored with electric prods, which is prohibited by the RSPCA practice; 46% of cows were electrocuted “The cows showed obvious panic or flight behavior.
“Staff also frequently engaged in verbal and physical abuse while animals watched in horror as other animals were killed or knocked unconscious in front of them.”
In a statement posted on the Animals Rising website, Packham said he put his “love for animals above all else” and resigned immediately after “uncovering irrefutable evidence of abuse.”
He accused the RSPCA of “failure to make any meaningful changes” after “raising concerns about salmon farming for many years and campaigning tirelessly for reforms within the safeguarding scheme”.
“I believe the charity has lost sight of its mission to protect all animals from abuse and suffering,” he added.
Lucas said in a separate statement: “Animals Rising’s covert filming of recent horrific abuse at an RSPCA-approved slaughterhouse was the final straw for me.
“The systemic cruelty exposed is unbearable.
“While the RSPCA responded by suspending the facility and launching another investigation, they failed to confront the deeper flaws in the scheme itself.
“Not only does this practice fail to adhere to their own standards, it also risks misleading the public and legitimizing cruelty.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a statement: “We agree with Chris and Caroline on many issues and have achieved so much for animals together, but we are at a loss as to how best to address farming. There is disagreement on the extremely complex and difficult issue of animal welfare.
“We have discussed our work to improve farmed animal welfare standards publicly and in detail with them on a number of occasions and it is incorrect that we have not taken urgent action.
“We take allegations of poor welfare very seriously and have carried out an independent review of 200 farms, concluding that they are ‘operating effectively’ in improving animal welfare.
“We are taking strong steps to improve welfare oversight by fully implementing the recommendations, including a significant increase in undercover visits and exploring technology such as body cameras and CCTV, supported by a £2 million investment.”
