Standards

The RSPCA standards exist solely to improve farm animal welfare. They are detailed and focus on providing good housing conditions for animals (whether indoor, outdoor or in a combination of both). Crucially, they also provide opportunities for animals to express behaviours that come naturally to them. All RSPCA standards are publicly available below.

There’s an average of 370 specific requirements within each standard that need to be met for a Producer to achieve RSPCA Approved certification.

Traceability

The Chain of Custody Standard ensures the integrity of the certification throughout the supply chain. Businesses that handle or supply RSPCA Approved product must adhere to the requirements of this standard.

What RSPCA Approved means for

Setting the Standards

Developed and reviewed by RSPCA Australia’s science team, the RSPCA standards are informed by animal welfare science, RSPCA policy, leading farming practices in Australia and overseas, and take into account the commercial realities associated with farming. They are created with the aim of meeting the needs of animals while also being achievable.

As an evidence-based organisation, the RSPCA acts upon the science that says animals benefit from being able to express behaviours that they find rewarding. To have a good quality of life, animals need to have their nutritional, environmental, health and behavioural needs catered for as well as having a good mental state which is drawn from positive experiences.

The RSPCA standards are underpinned by the RSPCA Australia’s good animal welfare policy.

Note: The standards are developed in accordance with the Standards Development Document to achieve a balanced approach having regard, among other things to the RSPCA’s policies and the extent to which it is possible and practical to implement such policies in a commercial setting

Continuous improvements

While the RSPCA standards go above and beyond what’s legally required in Australia, our aim is to set participating farms on a path of continuous improvement in animal welfare while maintaining commercial viability.

To achieve this, the standards are formally reviewed every five years. For every formal standard review, the RSPCA commissions an independent review of relevant animal welfare science, and invite participants in the Scheme, industry bodies, and other animal welfare NGOs to provide input.