To many he is simply known as ‘Bri’.
Sir Brian May, Queen Rock Band lead guitarist, co founder of animal welfare organisation ‘Save Me’, https://savemetrust.co.uk/ and a Doctor of Astrophysics, has resigned as Vice President of the RSPCA after 11 years as he considers the farm assured scheme as promoted by the RSPCA is in fact, anything but.
Almost 4,000 farms are certified RSPCA Assured, which indicates that their meat, fish, eggs and dairy products have been produced to strict standards which exceed the UK’s legal requirements.
Here Brian plays lead guitar – the singer is the brilliant Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant – or ‘Planty’; This event took place at Wembley Stadium, LONDON on Easter Monday, 20th April 1992 for a Freddie Mercury (Queen vocalist) tribute concert.
References:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13898023/Brian-queen-resigns-rspca-protest.html
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/rspca-reviews-animal-welfare-scheme-33762348
As animal campaigners, we can all appreciate how very difficult it must be to pack up and walk away from a positions such as this. The RSPCA are a fantastic charity who get NO funding from the government – they live solely through donations and legacies such as funds left by the public in personal Wills.
Regardless of this particular issue, I do, and will continue to give a small monthly donation to the RSPCA – why ? – because I have full respect and support for all the wonderful works they do in other areas; rescuing animals from suffering and harm; campaigning against animal cruelty, undercover work in dog fighting for example. Like Brian, I have very serious concerns about their farm assured labelling; and serious concerns anyway about all animals kept under the ‘farming’ umbrella; but this does not automatically stop me making a monthly donation. For many now, times have gotten that bit harder financially, and all charities are grateful for any support given to them.
So, they still get a little support from me regardless of how I feel specifically about the farm assured labelling. Policy can and is already underway to be changed in this area; animal cruelty does not stop overnight, so for me and the RSPCA, it is because of their other work that I still support.
Sadly, the farm assured scheme has been questioned for many years by us in the AR camp; but I am now pleased to see Bri put his words into actions; and for this I support him 110%. In 2023, Chris Packham, known to many UK viewers for he BBC Watch series – Springwatch, Autumnwatch etc became the President the the RSPCA. Chris is also a massive AW person and is Patron of many fine UK animal organisations, such as World Land, Animal Aid and Compassion In World Farming. I understand that for years Chris has been saying that the RSPCA farm assured scheme must be scrapped; but I suggest that some others in the organisations fight to keep the scheme going.
So back to Brian – Fully respected and understood reason why you decided to leave as VP. Hopefully the RSPCA will review their farm assured policies and as such, will bring back to the British Public the respect they deserve when they see the sticky label on food in their local supermarkets. A label which should mean that their food products are produced to the highest animal welfare standards.
Most Brits care a lot about animal welfare – I know cos I am one of them ! As a consequence they have a right to know that what the food label says in what they as consumers get; a guarantee that the labelling means that their food is produced to the highest standards and that NO cruelty takes place when to comes to animals raised.
We now wait to hear what the RSPCA is going to do.
In he meantime, well done Sir Brian for speaking out; full respect for this and all your badger work.
Regards Mark
Below – one of my resident garden badgers.
World Animals Voice 