HIGH STREET supermarket chain Aldi has offered a welcome boost to the Scottish pig industry by committing to stocking Scottish SPCA approved products.
All 46 Scottish Aldi stores will, from this week, be selling “Specially Selected Pork Approved by the Scottish SPCA” labeled products.
This week’s announcement follows on-going discussions between representatives from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), Aldi and Ayrshire-based Lynch Meats, most recently at the Royal Highland Show.
“Today’s announcement by Aldi is an excellent result for the Scottish pig industry,” said Jim McLaren, QMS Chairman.
“Consumers are increasingly stating that animal welfare is a priority when making purchase decisions and Aldi’s commitment will help to further boost awareness of our industry’s excellent welfare credentials.
“We look forward to other retailers seizing the opportunity to stock a brand which meets consumers’ requirements for provenance, quality assurance and welfare.”
The Specially Selected Pork label approved by the Scottish SPCA was launched to highlight the high welfare standard of pigs on Scottish farms. Pig farms throughout Scotland are visited by Scottish SPCA inspectors as part of the ground-breaking initiative behind the label. The initiative was the UK’s first farm assurance and food labeling scheme independently approved by a national animal welfare charity.
Participation is voluntary and around 98% of total Scottish pig production has now been inspected by the Scottish SPCA. The integrity of the scheme is founded on the fact that the Scottish SPCA receives no income, either directly or through any subsidiary, from the inspections.
Scottish SPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “We welcome Aldi’s announcement, which further demonstrates the high animal welfare standards on Scottish pig farms.”
