Animal Rising Press

Animal Rising campaigners went viral this week with our peaceful action in a Sainsbury’s store angering shoppers in Southampton. Rightwing pundits sharing this video have spread our message about RSPCA Assured cruelty even wider than before! The supermarket is a major stockist for the RSPCA Assured scheme, in which widespread suffering of animals on farms and slaughterhouses was uncovered by Animal Rising investigators last year. Multiple groups peacefully held banners, handed out leaflets, or sat in the aisles at Sainsbury’s and M&S stores around England over the weekend to raise awareness. Although actions like these may annoy some shoppers, we know that most people looking to buy RSPCA Assured products would be horrified by the suffering, cruelty and neglect rife within the scheme. Farmed animals deserve the protection of the world’s largest animal charity as much as cats and dogs, but have been consistently let down by the world’s largest, most powerful animal charity. We hope 2025 is the year the RSPCA comes to its senses and embraces its core values of protecting ALL life. #EndRSPCAAssured #AnimalRising #ForAllLife #AnimalRights #AnimalLiberation #AnimalFreedom #AnimalLover #RSPCAAssured #RSPCA #AnimalWelfare #AnimalRescue @rspcaassured @rspca_official

The Wilberforce Report was released last month by @firetail consultancy, after being commissioned by the @RSPCA_official to look into the landscape of animal wellbeing through to 2050. The project scope included farmed animals, companion animals, wild animals, links to human wellbeing, and social movements. The report also identified 11 ‘drivers’ that are expected to be the most relevant issues around animal wellbeing in the future. The three most relevant to Animal Rising are; ‘climate change and fragile ecological systems’, ‘farming practices and food systems’, and ‘social movements for animals’. The project then created five possible scenarios for the future of animal wellbeing; four dependent on the varying extent to which we connect with other animals and address the climate and food system challenges, and one ‘wildcard’ one that imagines animal wellbeing becoming a ‘first order public concern’. RSPCA’s alternative vision following the report is of a world where ‘animals are no longer seen as commodities and the importance of protecting and promoting animal welfare, particularly its links to human welfare, is recognised’ and a new ‘social contract’ with animals is formed. Rose Patterson, an Animal Rising spokesperson, spoke on the report and RSPCA's vision: “This is an extremely important report and I would like to thank Firefly and the RSPCA for the resources they have spent on this. It is clear to me that while the RSPCA Assured scheme is running, the RSPCA are helping set us on course for the ‘Eco Carnage’ scenario. It’s high time the world’s oldest animal charity rose up to the challenge of tackling the climate and ecological emergencies, whilst also reducing animal exploitation, by strongly and robustly calling for a plant-based food system. This cannot be done alongside the Assured scheme, and so the only credible option is for them to call time on it and turn the page.” @rspcaassured @RSPCAChris @Emma_Slav #EndRSPCAAssured #ForEveryKind #RSPCA200 firetail.co.uk/future-of-ani… rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/latest…

View the video in full here: youtube.com/watch?v=VXOD0Z_4…