RSPCA Ranks 2nd in 2024 Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark: Leading the Charge for Aquatic Animal Welfare

Aquatic Life Institute recently released the 3rd edition of its Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark, a tool designed to evaluate and compare the animal welfare standards of leading global seafood certification programs. This year, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was ranked second in the Benchmark, with a score of 7.3 out of 10. 

RSPCA received full points awarded for water quality, space requirements and stocking density, and stunning and slaughter, all of which are critical components of ensuring aquatic animal health and welfare. 

RSPCA’s Senior Scientific Officer for Aquaculture, Sean Black, answered ALI’s questions on why farmed fish welfare is so important and what the RSPCA is doing to protect them. We applaud RSPCA on their progress in aquatic animal welfare standards and hope that their prioritization of welfare policies inspires other certifiers and ranking schemes worldwide.

Why does the RSPCA prioritise aquatic animal welfare?

Farmed fish are the second most commonly farmed animal in the UK, yet almost no species-specific legislation exists to protect their welfare. Farmed fish are sentient beings and deserve the same protections as terrestrial farmed animals so we want to see better legal protection for farmed fish. Thankfully, our work through the development of the RSPCA welfare standards and the delivery of the RSPCA Assured scheme ensures that farmed salmon and trout have better lives.

Can you share some key initiatives or changes that RSPCA implemented that helped improve your rating?

In the latest update to the RSPCA welfare standards for Atlantic salmon, we included a list of prohibited methods of slaughter to further clarify what methods we deem to be unacceptable on welfare grounds, such as asphyxiation and carbon dioxide gassing. Although we did not permit these methods before, we have been more explicit that these methods are unacceptable.

What were the most significant challenges you faced in improving your welfare standards, and how did you overcome them?

The knowledge base concerning welfare of farmed fish continues to be less well-developed and understood than other farm animal species, which can present a significant challenge when trying to improve their welfare. However, we consult with the largest possible range of stakeholders, from industry to veterinarians, other NGOs and researchers, to gather the most up-to-date, relevant and practical knowledge and experience to make sure our standards continue to push fish welfare to the highest levels possible, whilst remaining achievable to implement. This is how we will make the biggest positive impact on farmed fish welfare in the UK.

What role do you see your organisation playing in shaping the future of aquatic animal welfare within the broader sustainable food movement?

The RSPCA and RSPCA Assured are dedicated to improving the welfare of farmed fish in the UK. Many other organisations and certifiers have broader aims but our specific and dedicated focus on welfare allows us to have a significant impact in this area. Our standards include far more species-specific detail than other standards and schemes. We continue to advocate for improving the welfare of as many farmed fish in the UK as possible. We also encourage people to eat less meat, dairy and eggs and choose higher welfare options, such as RSPCA Assured, when they do.

How do you engage with consumers to raise awareness of the importance of aquatic animal welfare, and do you think consumer demand is shifting towards higher welfare products?

Both the RSPCA and RSPCA Assured work hard to educate consumers on the importance of farmed animal welfare. Our marketing and media campaigns, digital content, food product labelling (via RSPCA Assured) and partnerships with major retailers across the UK all help us to make higher welfare more accessible and engaging to consumers. The RSPCA's new brand is all about promoting a better world for every kind - including farmed fish.

The choices we make in our food shops have a huge impact on the lives of millions of farm animals, and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of this. A recent survey commissioned by the RSPCA found that more than three quarters of people feel animal welfare is important when choosing what products to buy*. There are also now more than 1,800 RSPCA Assured-labelled products stocked by most of the major retailers, which clearly shows demand for higher welfare produce.

*Savanta survey commissioned by RSPCA in May 2024. Representative sample 2089.

As part of your continuous improvement process, how do external assessments and feedback from ALI shape your approach to welfare standards? Could you share any recent changes or successes that were informed by this kind of input?

We appreciate feedback from all stakeholders, and will look to address any issues we feel may help with the development, implementation or clarity of our standards. Feedback can help provide more effective and concise standards. For example, based partly on ALI’s feedback, the prohibited methods of slaughter were made more explicit within the standards. We also added an information box to highlight the need for further research on the topic of environmental enrichment. Whilst the RSPCA has worked on these issues for many years, the feedback from ALI highlighted that adding clarity here would be helpful.