Why cutting three sausages or seven burgers from our diet can help one billion animals

The RSPCA is challenging people to make simple, savvy food choices to reduce their animal product consumption by three per cent each year – in a move which could spare ONE BILLION land animals from lower welfare farming.

Groundbreaking new research from the University of Lincoln has revealed that reducing animal product consumption by just three percent each year could result in extraordinary global benefits, and by 2050 could:
Spare nearly one billion land animals from lower-welfare farming
Save up to three billion wild-caught fish used for animal feed
Free up millions of hectares of land for nature and wildlife
Significantly lower agricultural greenhouse gas emissions

And that means even a small reduction in eating animal products – like three burgers or seven sausages per year, based on average national consumption – is enough to make a difference to billions of animals.

Now, to mark World Farmed Animal Day this week (2 October), the RSPCA is challenging the myth that making food choices that help animals requires a complete lifestyle overhaul, including aiming to reduce the amount of animal products they buy, as well as choosing higher welfare products when they do.

The charity says creating a kinder world for farm animals “doesn’t require perfection or giving up the foods we love” – and has challenged local shoppers to follow three small steps that could help make a seismic difference.

The charity’s farmed animal experts hope to empower compassionate consumers by highlighting that making a difference doesn’t necessarily mean giving up beloved foods. Instead, shoppers can begin to unlock a meaningful, long-term impact through even small, strategic daily swaps.

Emily Harris, Campaigns Manager at the RSPCA, says: “Small, easy, everyday choices can make a real difference. This doesn’t require big restrictions or giving up favourite foods – it starts with small, achievable shifts. Together, savvy choices add up to really impactful results.

“It is easy to doubt whether one person’s choices make a difference, but savvy shoppers have genuine power through the choices they make. Small adjustments add up and send a clear message to the food industry and create a profound real-world ripple effect for farm animals everywhere. If everyone made tiny adjustments to what they eat, new research tells us that one billion animals could be spared from lower-welfare farming by 2050.”

The RSPCA has shared three simple steps that shoppers can take every day – and is urging the public to use this World Farm Animal Day to begin making simple swaps:

1. Be a savvy shopper: always check the label
Shoppers are encouraged to understand animal welfare food labels – such as RSPCA Assured and Soil Association Organic, which offer reassurance to consumers about how animals have been cared for.

But savvy shoppers should also avoid being duped by what they see on other labels. Generic production terms tend to only describe certain aspects of how animals were reared, and the term ‘British’, ‘English’, or ‘Welsh’ doesn’t always mean higher welfare. Images of fields and pasture and terms like ‘room to thrive’ and ‘happier and healthier’ are in no way an assurance of the way the animal in that food product lived.

Higher welfare assurance scheme labels are based on clear, science-backed standards, and can help shoppers make more informed choices about the food they buy. They offer shoppers products coming from farmers that have been subject to regular independent audits.

2. Outsmart unhelpful supermarket layouts
Standard, lower-welfare chicken typically dominates shelf space and is positioned at consumers’ eye level*, while higher-welfare options are often less visible, not offered in the same range of products or pack types, and more difficult to compare value for money than standard chicken.

As a result, supermarket shelves can make higher-welfare choices less accessible and harder to spot, and make it more likely for people to reach for lower-welfare products.

By looking around, and learning the layout of stores, shoppers can get savvy, and know where to find higher welfare produce.

3. Do the maths with the RSPCA’s online calculator
New RSPCA data show that a three percent reduction in meat consumption could be as little as:
Three fewer burgers or two fewer steaks per year
Seven fewer sausages or three fewer pork chops per year
Half a whole chicken less or four fewer chicken breasts per year
Forty-five fewer bowls of cereal with milk per year
Five fewer eggs per year

Shoppers can take action today by calculating their own, personalized reduction target using the RSPCA’s bespoke online food impact calculator. This free tool helps consumers analyse their current habits, receive a tailored annual roadmap, and track their progress with practical guidance.

Emily added: “Every small swap at the supermarket sends a powerful signal, and if everyone pledged to follow these three tips, starting this, World Farmed Animal Day, the results could be incredibly impactful by 2050.

“It can be challenging for people to understand that even small changes to their own routine can make a huge impact. But by making minor, simple changes in our daily routines, each of us has the power to drive an extraordinary movement. Small reductions in meat and dairy consumption, knowing our labels, and looking out for higher welfare produce can contribute to helping literally billions of animals.

“Creating a better world for farm animals doesn’t require perfection or giving up the foods we love: it starts with the power on our plate, and will spare millions of farm animals and build a kinder, more sustainable future for us all.”