Your higher welfare shopping guide

Organic standards offer the potential for higher animal welfare, with more space and access to outdoors. They may also include other higher welfare requirements, such as banning mutilations, and will involve the use of lower levels of artificial fertilisers and pesticides.

The Soil Association Organic label has the highest organic welfare standards in the UK.

Other labels to look out for in the UK include the Scottish Organic Producers Association (SOPA), and Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G).

Please note that EU organic certification may not guarantee animals have access to the outdoors. In particular for some dairy products, such as Parmesan and Grana Padano cheeses.

Free range animals have access to the outdoors and lead a more natural life.

In many countries, including the UK and European Union, free range labels for hens' eggs and poultry meat are underpinned by minimum legal outdoor space requirements.

Pasture for Life (PFLA) is a UK certification under which animals are raised exclusively on grass and forage, and have access to pasture. This increases animal welfare potential, and can have a positive impact on the environment.

The RSPCA Assured certification scheme applies in the UK only. It includes free range, outdoor and indoor rearing systems where more space and enrichment are provided.

For any farming system, RSPCA accreditation gives higher welfare potential than a product without this certification.

Red Tractor now have an Enhanced Welfare certification for indoor chicken farms.

Products with the 'Enhanced Welfare' marque come from farms which give animals more space, an enriched environment, and rear slower growing breeds.