LONDON―Compassion in World Farming, Humane World for Animals UK and The Animal Law Foundation met with members of Parliament this morning, to call for mandatory labelling of meat products and for stronger enforcement of existing laws against misleading claims.
At the briefing, the organisations warned that the lives and welfare of over 1 billion animals within the UK’s industrial farming system are being grossly misrepresented to consumers.
Experts linked the lack of proper enforcement of existing UK laws to facilitating a marketing and media landscape dominated by language and imagery that gives the impression animals have not suffered and omits critical information about cruel farming methods and practices. Although 100% of British supermarket websites depict animals outside, 85% of UK farmed animals are actually reared indoors in intensive conditions.
- Polling carried out at the end of November* by Humane World for Animals UK reveals that most UK consumers wrongly assumed that meat products carrying “welfare assured” labelling indicate no cages or cruel killing methods. The survey found that:65% of people believed that ‘welfare assured’ labels mean animals were not caged. The present reality is that products carrying this label can and do come from animals who have been caged.
- The majority of the public (58%) had the incorrect perception that the Red Tractor assurance label would prohibit various cruel practices, such as caging animals for all or significant proportions of their lives. Sixty percent thought that Red Tractor would not permit painful killing methods, such as CO2 gassing of pigs.
- When the public were asked how they would feel if it turned out that animal products labelled with welfare and quality claims came from animals who had in fact been subject to cruel farming practices, 50% would feel angry (rising to 55% amongst Reform voters and 64% amongst Green voters), while 47% said they would feel misled.
- 45% of UK adults believed supermarkets are “truthful” about animal welfare standards, while 21% were unsure (“don’t know”).
Over 60 MPs attended the event to join animal advocates’ calls for the government to tackle the misleading actions and omissions that are influencing the purchasing decisions of a significant proportion of consumers who aspire to avoid causing suffering to animals.
Event sponsor, Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, said: “Our current animal product labelling laws are not fit for purpose. For farmers who are trying hard to improve animal welfare, it’s extremely challenging that the market is saturated with low welfare products, which are already being sold under assurances like “welfare assured”. Successive governments have pledged action to clean up meat labelling but not delivered. Consumers, farmers and animals deserve better and the Liberal Democrats urge Defra to make food labelling a priority.”
Diane Morgan, actress and comedian, who spoke at the event said: “Consumers deserve to know the truth. People care, they just don’t stand a chance when every message they get, every label, advert, website – is designed to make them feel fine about something that they might actually not be fine with at all.
“If the information we’re given is false, our choices aren’t really ours. And that’s the point. What we know – and what we don’t know – shapes every purchase we make.”
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane World for Animals UK, said: “Consumers face a minefield of misleading claims and missing information. The majority of British people quite reasonably believe that supermarket labels like “welfare assured” and “Trusted British farms” mean that the animals won’t have been subjected to cruel farming practices, such as pigs being kept in cages or gassed to death with carbon dioxide, but they’re sadly incorrect. Such labels can hide a multitude of suffering.
“Over three-quarters of British people want clear, consistent labelling to stop animal suffering being hidden behind a veil of deceptive marketing.”
Edie Bowles, executive director at The Animal Law Foundation, said: “Pervasive misinformation across various platforms, from advertising, product labelling and even TV shows is creating the impression that animals live healthy and happy lives outside, when in reality 85% are raised on industrial farms.
“There are laws that govern the supply of misleading information, including consumer protection laws and even a prohibition on fraud; however, these are rarely enforced when it comes to these products. The result is a dishonest food supply chain and an unfair advantage being given to lower welfare farming systems that would unlikely benefit if consumers knew the truth.
“The public has made it clear that it cares about animal welfare and rather than companies pretending that they reflect this, they must comply with the law so the public can make informed decisions.”
Anthony Field, head of Compassion in World Farming UK, said: “The lack of clear, honest labelling means the public are unaware that around 85% of UK farmed animals are kept in cruel systems. It is unfair on consumers who want to buy higher welfare meat and dairy and on higher welfare farmers who are being undermined by lower welfare products hiding behind misleading labels. But most of all it is unfair on the 1.1 billion animals raised in factory farm systems across the UK.
“The Government must introduce mandatory method of production labelling as a priority, in order that shoppers can ensure their hard-earned money is spent on food that meets the high animal welfare standards the British public expect.”
Despite existing legislation and self-regulation aimed at protecting the public and consumers from misleading impressions, enforcement is practically non-existent which has allowed for the continued misrepresentation of animal farming standards to the British public.
The organisations are calling upon the UK Government to introduce a new method of labelling and increased and improved enforcement:
Mandatory method of production labelling: 77% of people support a new animal product labelling law, with support highest (>80%) amongst Green, Reform and Liberal Democrat voters. In addition, the Government's Fairer Food Labelling consultation attracted over 31,000 responses from consumers, farmers, retailers and advocacy groups, with 99% of respondents backing mandatory labelling, and for it to apply to both domestic and imported products. The Government should advance the proposals set out in the consultation,which would give consumers clarity over welfare standards, allowing them to purchase in line with their values. A new labelling law must also apply to imported products to protect British farmers from being undercut by lower welfare imported animal products. Defra’s 2024 Impact Assessment concluded that clearer labelling could increase UK farmers’ profits by over £46 million annually and deliver a net benefit of £140 million to society.
Better enforcement of existing advertising and labelling laws: 77% of the public who were polled support stricter enforcement by bodies such as Trading Standards to increase monitoring and penalties for deceptive advertising claims on animal products, while 75% support stricter oversight by the Advertising Standards Authority to prevent adverts giving a false impression of animal welfare. The relevant regulators and law enforcement bodies, including the Competitions and Markets Authority, Trading Standards, Advertising Standards Agency and Ofcom, need to be adequately resourced and steered to ensure the enforcement of existing laws to prevent the misinformation that surrounds animal farming and animal products in the UK.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
*Polling carried out with Opinium Research on 25th - 27th November 2025 with a sample size of 2,000 UK adults.