Leading ethical convenience retailer, the Co-op, has announced that from July all of its own-brand fresh pork, bacon, sausage, gammon and ham will be sourced from 100% outdoor-bred pigs on RSPCA Assured farms.

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The move further bolsters the retailer’s animal welfare credentials and means that all pigs within its producer group will be born outdoors and raised in well-ventilated, spacious straw barns to strict RSPCA welfare standards on farms across the UK.

By partnering with Tulip Ltd, the UK’s largest high-welfare pig producer, the Co-op has been able to establish an RSCPA Assured, outdoor-bred pork supply chain offering total traceability from farm to fork in which sows are free from confinement and pigs are able to fully express their natural behaviours. Furthermore, the 100% outdoor promise is set to be rolled out across both standard and premium Co-op ranges.

Jo Whitfield, Retail CEO, Co-op, said: “Our customers and members shop with us because they know we are as passionate as they are about animal welfare, so we’re delighted to be able to bring such a pioneering approach to our pig offering.

“The highest animal welfare standards should not just be the preserve of top-tier products and we want to ensure that the very best quality British pork is available at everyday affordable prices. We will be working hard with innovative and passionate British farmers who share our principles, to provide exceptional quality pork produce with a conscience.”

Clive Brazier, CEO RSPCA Assured, said: “Thanks to the Co-op many more pigs will have a better life reared to RSPCA welfare standards. And not only that, but the Co-op is helping bust the perception that higher welfare food always means a higher retail price. Shoppers can be confident that, no matter what their budget is, all own-brand fresh pork products in the Co-op will be RSPCA Assured. This is a major step forward for helping improve pig welfare and we hope other retailers will follow suit.”

George Eustice, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: “There is growing consumer interest in food provenance, animal welfare and the way food is produced and I welcome the decision of the Co-op to embrace that by switching to outdoor bred pigs.“__

Steve Francis, CEO of Tulip Ltd, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our long-standing partnership with the Co-op to offer consumers greater access to great quality, higher welfare pork products sourced from farms in the UK. Tulip and Co-op share a rich heritage in food and farming and a firm commitment to championing British agriculture. The 100% RSPCA Assured outdoor bred promise will provide Co-op shoppers with the confidence that their pork products are produced responsibly and ethically to industry-leading welfare standards.”

Tracey Jones, Director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming, said: “We wholeheartedly congratulate the Co-op for making this move to higher welfare pig production across both their standard and premium own brand products. By doing so they are not only addressing key issues such as confinement and the need to provide pigs with a stimulating environment, but they are making higher welfare the norm and meeting their customers’ expectations.”

The latest announcement follows the Co-op’s previous show of support for British agriculture, which, last May saw it switch all of its own-brand fresh meat to 100% British, alongside a further £1bn investment into sourcing home-grown meat and fresh produce.