FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Make small diet changes to help farmed animals live better
Farmed animals are intelligent, emotional individuals who deserve lives filled with kindness and respect.
For more than 200 years, we've worked to improve the lives of farmed animals through campaigning, setting higher welfare standards, and working with farmers. But creating lasting change doesn't stop at the farm. We can all play a part by speaking up for farm animals and in the food choices we make every day.
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Want to help farm animals?
Start with the facts
Farmed animals are sentient beings. They can experience pain and pleasure, and have behavioural and emotional needs. Cows form close friendships and love to play. Mother pigs build nests for their babies. Chickens dustbathe to keep their feathers healthy.
Yet millions still spend their lives in lower-welfare farming systems where they can't express many of their natural behaviours.
Just a 3% change can make a difference
You don't have to change your whole diet to improve the lives of farmed animals.
New research from the University of Lincoln shows that if, together, we reduce the animal products we eat by just 3% each year, we can help spare almost one billion land animals from lower-welfare farming by 2050.
Our interactive quiz brings this groundbreaking research to life through surprising facts about the animals behind our food. Discover how small, realistic changes to what we eat could make a much bigger difference than you might think.
Take the quiz
Ready for the 3% Challenge?
Turn what you’ve learned into action.
Use our food impact calculator to discover simple, realistic ways to reduce the animal products you eat, at a pace that suits your lifestyle. Based on your current eating habits, you'll receive a personalised plan with practical swaps and achievable pledges to help you get started.
Make your food choices count. A little less can mean a lot more.
What’s the RSPCA’s role in farmed animal welfare?
Farmed animal welfare is the single biggest issue facing animals in the world today. The sheer number of animals involved means that improving the way animals are farmed has the potential to transform more animals’ lives than any other area of our work.
That’s why we’re taking action in different ways. We campaign to phase out lower-welfare farming practices and push for change on issues including cages, slaughter and chicken welfare. Our farmed animal welfare standards and the RSPCA Assured scheme help drive better conditions for farmed animals too.
We’re also calling for fewer animals to be farmed overall, with a target to reduce the animal products we eat by 3% each year by 2050.
Together, let’s raise the standard for farmed animals.
Growing demand for higher-welfare chicken
Meat chickens make up around 77% of lower-welfare (sometimes called factory-farmed) animals, with 35 killed every single second. Learn how governments, retailers, consumers and campaigners can work together to grow demand for higher-welfare standards.
Read the reportUse your voice for farmed animals
Farmed animals deserve better lives
Low welfare farming is the single biggest animal welfare issue on the planet. But there’s small changes we can all make to help tackle animal suffering on this huge scale.
How I can make a change