THE RSPCA has come under fire from free-range farming group Humane Choice for its pork product labels in Australian supermarkets.
The RSPCA Paw of Approval logo can be found on pork products produced according to the RSPCA's animal welfare standards from accredited farms.
But Humane Choice chief operating officer Lee McCosker said the logo, which can be applied to pork from farms where the pigs are bred in hutches (in open paddocks) but grown in sheds, could mislead consumers.
Humane Choice has its own label denoting "true free range" products from accredited, pasture-raised pork, beef, lamb, chicken and egg producers.
"We would like to see the RSPCA take control of the use of their trademark," she said.
She said most consumers would not accept product from animals grown in shedding as truly free range.
But the RSPCA said its standards were already higher than those required by law or recommended by the various model codes of practice.
