Your first assessment

If you’re a new member, your first assessment will take place within 12 weeks of us receiving your payment.

The quickest we can assess your site is 28 days, so please make sure you apply in good time.

Certificates and renewals

Your RSPCA Assured certificate lasts for 12 months.

For existing members, we’ll carry out an on-site assessment within the year to confirm you’re still meeting the RSPCA welfare standards.

This keeps your certification valid, upholds high animal welfare standards and maintains trust in the scheme.

Most assessments take around two and a half hours, but this time may vary depending on the size and type of your operation.

What to expect on assessment day

On the day, your RSPCA Assured assessor will arrive at your farm gate at the agreed time.

They’ll explain the purpose of the visit, how the assessment works and what happens if any of the RSPCA welfare standards aren’t met.

Before setting foot on your farm, they’ll follow strict biosecurity measures to protect your animals from disease.

Once everything is ready, you and the assessor will walk around your site together – looking at the animals, building, equipment and records.

Your assessment is designed to check you’re meeting all the relevant RSPCA welfare standards.

If something isn’t quite right (we call these ‘non-conformances’), your assessor will highlight this during and at the end of the visit.

Please note: our assessors can’t advise you on how to fix non-conformances – but they will explain clearly what evidence you’ll need to provide (for example, photos, invoices or a vet’s note), how long you have to make changes, and where to send your evidence.

You’ll also receive a copy of the assessment report to keep.

Once the certification body has approved any required evidence, your membership can be confirmed.

Additional visits

All RSPCA Assured members may receive unannounced spot checks.

These visits are an important part of maintaining the high standards we’re known for – and they help reassure shoppers that the label really means what it says.