Chris Packham, renowned wildlife TV presenter and conservationist, has resigned from his position as president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

His decision comes in the wake of an undercover investigation exposing significant animal cruelty at abattoirs certified under the RSPCA’s ethical labelling scheme, RSPCA Assured.

The investigations, conducted by the campaign group Animal Rising and published in May and December, revealed shocking footage of animals being mistreated at slaughterhouses in England and Scotland. The footage showed pigs being kicked and struck, sheep improperly stunned, and cows hit in the face with paddles, among other violent actions. These facilities were certified under the RSPCA Assured scheme, which is intended to guarantee higher welfare standards for animals.

Expressing his disappointment with the RSPCA’s response, Packham stated:
“I believe the charity has lost sight of its mandate to protect all animals from cruelty and suffering. After years of raising concerns about salmon farming and tirelessly pushing for reform within the Assured Schemes, I’ve seen no meaningful change. With the irrefutable evidence of abuse uncovered, I must prioritise my love for animals above all else and step down immediately.”

Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party and vice-president of the RSPCA, also resigned in protest. She criticised the RSPCA Assured scheme, suggesting it risked “legitimising cruelty.”

In her statement, Lucas said “The recent horrific revelations of abuse at RSPCA-approved slaughterhouses, filmed undercover by Animal Rising, were the final straw for me. The systemic cruelty exposed was unbearable to witness. While the RSPCA’s response was to suspend the implicated facilities and launch yet another investigation, they failed to confront the deeper flaws of the scheme itself. This approach not only fails to uphold their own standards but also risks misleading the public and legitimising cruelty.”

Reflecting on the footage, Packham remarked: “When I saw the footage that had been collected from those establishments… I can’t speak—it was so horrific. Obviously, the society suspended those abattoirs immediately and launched an investigation, but launching investigations has been going on for some considerable time.”

Their resignations follow similar action by Queen’s Brian May, a former Vice President of the RSPCA, who stepped down earlier this year.

In response, the RSPCA defended its actions and outlined measures to address the issues. A spokesperson said “We agree with Chris and Caroline on so many issues and have achieved so much together for animals but we differ on how best to address the incredibly complex and difficult issue of farmed animal welfare.

“We have discussed our work to drive up farmed animal welfare standards openly at length with them on many occasions and it is simply not true that we have not taken urgent action.

“We took allegations of poor welfare incredibly seriously, launching an independent review of 200 farms which concluded that it was ‘operating effectively’ to improve animal welfare.

“We are taking strong steps to improve oversight of welfare, implementing the recommendations in full including significantly increasing unannounced visits, and exploring technology such as bodyworn cameras and CCTV, supported by £2m of investment.”