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Get involved as a consumer
Buy free range or organic
Free range and organic meat and egg products are produced in higher welfare systems where the animals have access to the outdoors. If you can’t find free range or organic products in your supermarket, then please ask for them. Let supermarkets know that you care. Look out for the Soil Association’s logo for a guarantee of high organic standards. Farmers' markets, small-scale local producers and independent shops often offer free range and organic alternatives too.

Free range cakes
Many people buy free-range eggs. But what about processed foods? The egg ingredient in most processed foods and ready-made meals is battery produced. Look out for the Soil Association's logo for a guarantee of high organic standards. 100% of the egg ingredients used in Marks & Spencer’s products are free range and Waitrose’s chilled and fresh own label products only contain free range egg.

Beware confusing labels
Terms such as ‘Fresh’, ‘Farm Fresh’ or ‘Country Fresh’ are often used to sell factory farmed products. These clever marketing terms may seem reassuring, but they say nothing about welfare. For higher welfare, make sure the label clearly states: ‘free range, ‘ organic’ or ‘outdoor reared/bred’.

‘Farm Assured’?
A myriad of farm assurance schemes have sprung up in recent decades. When it comes to welfare, ‘farm assured’ generally guarantees little more than producers having complied with minimum regulatory requirements. Factory farmed meat and eggs are often produced under standard farm assurance schemes. Visit our microsite at www.littleredtractor.info for more information about farm assurance schemes.

Imported food
Bear in mind where your food has come from. Some imported meat will have come from countries where the welfare standards may be much lower than our own. Always try and purchase meat, milk and eggs that have been produced as close to you as possible to reduce the number of “food miles”.

Boycott G.M. / frankenstein foods
Soon shoppers may find ‘frankenstein’ animal foods in the supermarket. Co-op and Marks & Spencer have confirmed they will not sell any G.M animal products. ASDA, Safeway, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose have agreed to keep G.M. out of their own brand products.

Report exotic animal products
Frogs’ legs cut from the living animal, foie gras from force-fed geese and ducks and meat from essentially wild animals such as ostrich are products of cruelty. If you see these on sale complain to the company involved and report your findings to Compassion in World Farming.

Organic milk
Organically-reared cows are fed a more natural diet. This helps avoid those welfare problems associated with intensively-reared cows bred to produce more and more milk. Sold by most major supermarkets, those selling the greatest proportion of organic milk are: Waitrose (20%), ASDA (5%), Sainsbury’s (4.6%), Tesco (4%) and Morrisons (4%). For those preferring the non-dairy option, many supermarkets sell organic soya milk.

Voice your concern!
Use every opportunity such as supermarket customer comment cards, company websites and letters to supermarket head offices and store managers to voice your concern as a consumer about farm animal welfare.