RSPCA Assured is more than doubling the fee for egg producer members and introducing new charges for services that have until now been provided at no extra cost.
Formerly known as Freedom Food, the RSPCA’s farm assurance scheme says it has not raised fees for nine years and has been forced to do so now because of increased operating costs.
It says it is keeping the increase to a minimum, but the fee is rising from £142.80 to £299 for up to 6,000 laying hens and £68.40 for each additional 6,000 birds.
The British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association (BFREPA) said the increase came at a time when egg prices for producers were falling.
RSPCA Assured said in a statement that it 'completely understands that it is never good news to hear that prices are increasing'.
"It’s not something we want to be doing and isn’t a decision we have taken lightly," the assurance scheme added.
"We are very mindful of the difficult financial challenges faced by many of our members and always work hard to offer the very best service we can, at the most reasonable cost.
"However, with rising inflation and other operating costs - which have risen by nearly 50 per cent over the last five years - a huge strain has been put on our resources.
"As such, as a non-profit-making charity, we now have no option but to increase our fees. This is to ensure we can continue offering the best higher welfare assurance scheme and service to our members that we can.”
The statement said that this was the first rise it had introduced in nine years and it had kept it to the "absolute minimum.”
Even after the increases, the fees did still not cover the full costs of operating the scheme, it said, and RSPCA Assured was putting in its own money to make up the difference between income from fees and costs.
“The fees only partly cover the cost of assessments, whilst we subsidise the rest,” RSPCA Assured said in the statement.
"And, as a charity, we plough all income from the fees directly back into the running of RSPCA Assured and helping improve farm animal welfare - we do not profit from them.
"It is regrettable that some members may find the increase difficult but, in comparison to other farm assurance schemes, we remain highly competitive and represent very good value for the service we deliver and the certification mark we provide.”
For laying hens, the fee will be £299 for up to 6,000 birds and £68.40 for each additional 6,000.
The fee is the same for pullets and turkeys, whilst the fee for chickens and ducks is £142.80 for up to 30,000 birds and £68.40 for each additional 30,000 birds.
Poultry catching teams will pay £299, with £68.40 for each additional team.
Packers, hatcheries, processors and abattoirs will pay £454.80 per site. The fee for hauliers is £142.80 for the first vehicle and £20.40 for each additional vehicle or trailer. There is a one-off joining fee of £36.
A site revisit will be charged at £199 and an additional farm livestock officer visit at £325. A fee of £125 will be charged for derogation and exception requests.
Robert Gooch, chief executive of the British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association (BFREPA), said: “It is always disappointing when producer costs increase, particularly when egg prices are in the doldrums or are – in some cases – falling.
"Nonetheless the RSPCA Assured or Freedom Food accreditation has been part of the growth of the free range sector for many years and the retailers like the assurance it provides."
The new RSPCA Assured fees come into effect on 1 September.
