Demand For Ethical Turkeys Could Outstrip Supply This Christmas

Thursday, 8 December 2011 10:25 AM

The increasing demand for ethical food continues this Christmas with British shoppers claiming tucking into a turkey with a higher welfare label, is more important than the size and price.

According to research into higher welfare food - published today for RSPCA Freedom Food - more than one in three (34%) adults said if they were going to buy a turkey this Christmas they would choose one with a higher welfare label, such as Freedom Food or free-range. And just 10% said they would buy the cheapest, largest turkey they could find.

Turkeys from farms inspected to the RSPCA’s strict welfare standards – under the Freedom Food label - rocketed 36% last Christmas, from just over one million birds (1,015,000) in December 2009 to nearly 1.4 million (1,379,000) in December 2010*. And Freedom Food says the trend looks set to continue this year.

But despite this impressive increase, and growing consumer demand, Freedom Food fears animal loving Brits will be left bitterly disappointed as the vast majority of turkeys in our supermarkets still come from farms of which the RSPCA disapproves.

The research also revealed:

· Over half (52%) of the people surveyed believe that more than 20% of UK turkeys are reared to RSPCA welfare standards

· And 30% of people believe that the figure is more than 40%. 

In fact turkeys from farms inspected to RSPCA standards, and sold under the Freedom Food label, only account for about 7% of all British farmed turkeys**.

This means the majority of the 16 million turkeys reared in the UK each year are kept in unacceptable conditions. RSPCA farm animal scientist, Alice Clark, explains:

“We are really concerned about the way the majority of turkeys in the UK are looked after. Most of them are kept in a very barren environment where they simply aren’t given enough space to move around and exercise properly.

“Turkeys are intelligent birds and naturally inquisitive. They need things to do, such as objects to peck at and perch on.”

And according to the higher welfare research, the vast majority of respondents share this concern with a staggering 81% saying they think more turkeys should be farmed to RSPCA standards.

Clark added: “The good news is we can all do our bit to help improve their lives by choosing turkeys with higher welfare labels, such as Freedom Food or free-range. But we need supermarkets to help too, by listening to consumer demand and stocking more of them.”

For the first time ever this Christmas, budget supermarket Lidl is stocking Freedom Food turkey, as well as Sainsbury’s – the largest retailer of Freedom Food products - Asda and Tesco.

-Ends-

*Based on Freedom Food’s own animal numbers

**Defra farm census 2010.

Notes to editors

· All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2057 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28th - 30th November 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

· Freedom Food turkeys:

Turkeys on Freedom Food approved farms are given much more space to move around compared to other commercially reared turkeys. They can be kept indoors or free-range as long as the RSPCA’s strict welfare standards are met. 

These standards include:

Space: RSPCA welfare standards require that turkeys must have enough space to move around and express natural behaviour – helping to prevent welfare problems associated with overcrowding, such as lameness. The space specified is up to double the amount of space per bird required by the industry’s own standards.

Enriched environment: All turkeys reared under the Freedom Food scheme must be provided with an interesting environment to help meet their physical and behavioural needs. Turkeys are inquisitive birds and a stimulating environment promotes good health and welfare by encouraging activity and allowing for natural behaviours. There is no requirement for environmental enrichment in the minimum industry standards.

Lighting: Low levels of lighting leads to faster growth, restricting the turkeys’ ability to move around explore their surroundings, which can be detrimental to health and welfare. Freedom Food turkeys are required to have lighting over at least half the shed that is at least two times brighter than the industry standard. Good lighting encourages activity, natural behaviour and helps the birds to maintain good eyesight.

RSPCA farm checks: All Freedom Food approved turkey farms are subject to rigorous annual assessments by Freedom Food to ensure that welfare standards are being met. Plus they are also subject to separate monitoring visits by the RSPCA’s team of Farm Livestock Officers to help ensure standards are maintained. Finally, traceability checks are carried out on Freedom Food labelled products back to the relevant farm to check they come from an approved supply chain.

· What is Freedom Food?

The RSPCA’s Freedom Food scheme is the only UK assurance scheme dedicated to farm animal welfare. It approves livestock producers, hauliers and abattoirs against RSPCA farm animal welfare standards, providing a thorough and pragmatic approach to farming and encouraging the application of best practice from birth to slaughter. The scheme also offers a robust traceability system. When consumers see the distinctive logo on food packaging or menus they can be confident that the animal has been reared on farms inspected to higher welfare standards, with the backing of one of the most respected animal charities in the world.

Rebecca Lenik
Senior Press Officer
RSPCA Freedom Food
Tel: 01403 801283
rlenik@freedomfood.co.uk
www.freedomfood.co.uk
Please note my normal working days are Wednesday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. For any urgent enquiries outside of these times please contact Carole Stewart on 0207 630 6633 or the RSPCA press office on 0300 123 0244/0288.
 

Tags:
• animal welfare
,
• christmas
,
• farming