RSPCA to probe all Marks & Spencer dairy farms after shocking pictures showed how calves were squeezed into tiny cages
The charity will inspect all 40 dairy farms supplying the retail giant
THE RSPCA is to inspect all dairy farms which supply Marks & Spencer after shocking images revealed hundreds of calves crammed into rows of tiny cages.
The animal welfare charity will take action after pictures showed some calves can barely take a step after outgrowing their pens.
Now all 40 dairy farms supplying Marks & Spencer will be probed by the RSPCA at the request of the store, the reports.
Marks & Spencer announced today that it has commissioned the charity to audit every single M&S dairy farm to RSPCA Assured Standards.
M&S and Trading Standards investigated after allegedly illegal conditions on the Dorset farm were revealed by the charity Animal Equality.
The retail giant has said the farmer made a mistake – but it is understood they will not stop working with the dairy.
It is understood the store has now asked the RSPCA to carry out independent inspections of all its dairies.
The Mail Online reports M&S food director Andy Adcock wrote in a blog: “We hold our hands up. One of our farmers made a mistake. However, we are not going to sever our ties with this farm.”
Welfare law bans calves from being kept in solitary pens after eight weeks, when they must be moved to herds so they have social interaction and exercise.
But registered ear tags reportedly proved many were older than the legal limit.
The charity said footage showed "large calves desperately trying to groom each other through the metal divides of their individual pens".
It says some of the animals appeared to be up to six months old. M&S and the farm denied this, but refused to say how old they are.
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Dr Toni Shephard of Animal Equality UK said: “Seeing row after row of baby calves alone in tiny pens — when they should naturally still be with their mothers — is truly heartbreaking.
“But realising that many of these are actually older female calves who, contrary to UK animal welfare law, have been confined like this for many months is shocking.”
She added: “UK animal welfare law recognises how vitally important exercise and social interaction is for calves and restricts solitary housing to just eight weeks.
“Yet on this farm Animal Equality found female calves as old as six months cramped and suffering in individual pens.
“We are calling on M&S to break ties with this supplier immediately. We urge all supermarkets to implement a zero-tolerance policy when farms break animal welfare laws.”
Around 1,000 female Holstein calves are housed at Grange Dairy in East Chaldon, Dorset, where they are being raised after being born on other farms also owned by parent company JF Cobb and Sons.
They will be sent to join dairy herds and when they are old enough to calve, their milk will be sold to supermarkets across the country.
Marks & Spencer said: "We are very disappointed to see these images; any breach of our standards is completely unacceptable.
"Our experts are on site and working with the farm to take immediate action and all necessary steps to address the situation.
"We work hard to uphold the highest welfare standards."
Family firm JF Cobb and Sons, founded in 1928, is part of a group of farms that supplies 240,000 pints of milk to the high street every day.
Partner Nick Cobb said: “As a family farming business, we care passionately about our livestock and all our energy is focused on keeping our cattle comfortable and healthy.
"We work closely with vets and industry welfare experts to establish the best approach to looking after our animals and our health and welfare performance is industry-leading.
"Our animals are under close veterinary supervision and there is no suggestion that the health and welfare of our animals has been compromised.
"We have been in liaison with Marks & Spencer and our milk buyer over this matter and last week spot audits were undertaken, including from Trading Standards.
"All of these audits were passed successfully, with no concerns over animal welfare.”
It is understood M&S will continue to take milk from the farm group after reassurances following the Trading Standards inspection last week.
Sun Online has contacted the RSPCA for comment.
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