SPCA Blue Tick Accreditation Offers Free Range Confidence to Consumers

Following the conviction of an egg farmer who admitted duping consumers by passing off 2.47 million eggs from caged hens as free-range the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is reminding consumers that eggs that carry their Blue Tick Accreditation mark are guaranteed to be from cage free producers.

The RNZSPCA describe the Blue Tick Programme as “Your Humane Farming Guarantee”.

Blue Tick is a certification programme run by the Royal New Zealand SPCA. It certifies animal products that “are farmed to our high welfare standards”.

The scheme started by certifying eggs in 2001 and then added pork products in 2009. In 2011 it added standards for meat poultry chicken and in 2012 added turkey standards.

The Brands that currently carry the Blue Tick Mark on their eggs are Freedom Farms, Henergy Eggs, Kirkfields and Wholesome. All producers supplying these distributors must meet the Accreditation Standards set down by the RNZSPCA.

National CEO of the RNZSPCA, Ric Odom, commented “Regrettably, we were not shocked to hear of this case as there has been speculation in the market of this kind of behaviour for some time. However, from the consumer’s perspective, they have the benefit of knowing that if a Brand carries the Blue Tick mark, it meets the rigorous standards specified in the Blue Tick Programme. The scope of these standards is significant and comprehensive. This degree of confidence is key to all New Zealand shoppers who share our commitment to humane farming in all aspects of animal and animal product production and processing.

Odom added “We strongly recommend all producers who believe they can meet the Blue Tick Standards to contact us and submit an Application for Accreditation.”

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