Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas have quit as president and vice-president of the RSPCA after a campaign group alleged animal cruelty at some of the charity’s approved list of abattoirs. Animal Rising released footage from facilities as part of its investigation into the RSPCA’s “Assured Scheme” which certifies farms, food producers and food retailers that meet its specific animal welfare standards. In response, the RSPCA said it takes allegations of poor animal welfare “incredibly seriously”. The charity said it was “simply not true” that it had not taken urgent action, adding unannounced visits had been significantly increased, and use of bodyworn cameras and CCTV was also being explored. In its most recent investigation, Animal Rising singled out four abattoirs where it said “experts found systemic animal cruelty”. It said its investigators had found that “in one slaughterhouse 85% of pigs were stunned incorrectly, leaving animals conscious during slaughter, and in another 96% of cows were prodded with an electric goad, a practice banned by the RSPCA, and 46% of cows showed clear signs of panic or escape behaviors. There was also frequent verbal and physical abuse from workers, and animals watching in terror and panic as other animals were killed or stunned in front of them. Packham said he was prioritising his “love for animals above all else” and was stepping down immediately, following the “irrefutable evidence of abuse uncovered”. He accused the RSPCA of making “no meaningful change” after “years of raising concerns about salmon farming and tirelessly pushing for reform within the Assured Schemes”. Lucas said: “The recent horrific revelations of abuse at RSPCA-approved slaughterhouses, filmed undercover by Animal Rising, were the final straw for me. The systemic cruelty exposed was unbearable to witness. While the RSPCA’s response was to suspend the implicated facilities and launch yet another investigation, they failed to confront the deeper flaws of the scheme itself. This approach not only fails to uphold their own standards but also risks misleading the public and legitimising cruelty.”
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