Scottish pig producers will soon be able to offer their pork to consumers with a seal of approval from animal welfare leaders, thanks to a historic deal.

The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has joined forces with Quality Meat Scotland to offer an independent approval for its farm assurance scheme. All Scottish pork under the scheme will be eligible to carry a ‘Approved by the Scottish SPCA’ label.

QMS claimed the scheme was the first of its kind to gain independent approval from an animal welfare charity and said the project would add no extra cost to industry.

Stuart Earley, Scottish SPCA chief executive, said, “This is a tremendously exciting partnership, which will ensure and demonstrate the highest animal welfare standards on Scottish pig farms.”

The scheme will be voluntary and open to all pig farms across Scotland. Each farm will be assessed by the Scottish Food Quality Certification and Scottish SPCA inspectors within 18 months. It will cover production across the board, both indoor and outdoor, QMS said.