Welfare states. Chicken safety champion Sir Colin Spedding is adamant that standards need not mean soaring costs as Helen Gregory reports Sir Colin Spedding is, by his own admission, an "old fashioned, public service guy". Years of committee work and hours spent on panels in Whitehall have given him a studious and sombre air. But his dark rimmed glasses and old fashioned looks belie a career spent one step ahead. Sir Colin set up a farm animal welfare group in the 1980s and the first organic accreditation body ­ the UK Register of Organic Food Standards ­ which spawned groups such as the Soil Association. A small, wiry man still full of energy at 75 years old, Sir Colin is at home in the darkened recesses of the Farmers' Club in Whitehall and, although he is no farmer, it is a position more than earned by a lifetime's work with animals and plants. One of his main roles now is as chairman of Assured Chicken Production ­ a company set up to raise quality standards in the poultry industry and reassure consumers of the safety of British chicken. The initiative began two years ago when poultry producers and retailers began talking about raising standards ­ far ahead of the Competition Commission's recommendation that suppliers and stores should work more closely together. Sir Colin came on board last year and believes his impartiality and pragmatism prompted the invitation to join. "It was widely known I am completely independent. I'm not too afraid to criticise. I think my role in life is to bring people together: as chair of the National Equine Forum I bring together 85 bodies, but I've never been on a horse." Assured chicken products are covered by the British Farm Standard mark ­ the little red tractor logo ­ which was established by the NFU last year with the reassuring words For food you can trust', and sticky labelled on home-grown produce. Chicken farmers in the scheme ­ which cover nearly 90% of the 15 million chickens eaten every week ­ use no antibiotic growth promoters, recognise clear guidance on stocking density and guarantee total traceability of the life of the bird. All processors are independently audited so that retailers do not need to carry out their own inspections. But Sir Colin adds: "You have to be careful not to impose limitations on people ­ retailers can still do their own inspections if they want." The scheme has directors to enforce its integrity: two nominated by the BRC, two by the British Poultry Meat Federation, one by the NFU and two independents. Membership fees contribute to the scheme and extra funding comes from contributions from producers and retailers who are gradually coming on board. The aim is for the entire industry to be involved in the scheme, but not all the big retailers have signed up ­ currently, only three have joined. Sir Colin now wants retailers to display point of sale material in stores more prominently to drive the point home. "It's almost impossible to talk to consumers otherwise, and PoS is extremely effective." He admits there is pressure on the industry to keep costs down, to which intensive farming can be a response, but he insists that taking welfare into consideration does not always cost more. "Economists have proved that you can make improvements at extremely low cost. "A lot of cruelty is not malicious, it's just thoughtless. Improvements can come from a change in attitude." Ignorance, according to Sir Colin, is often the reason and he sighs despairingly when relaying that some consumers and welfarists still believe chickens are bred too big and too fast so that their legs can't support them. He admits that in the past breeding for growth may have centred on growth, but asserts: "It's rubbish now, of course. Poultry breeding is in some ways like breeding people ­ if you bred people solely based on intelligence, you would end up with a race of cripples." In an attempt to dispel incorrect perceptions, as well as to make the group's actions more transparent, he is asking welfare groups such as Freedom Food what guidelines they want included, "rather than just shouting from the sidelines". But most of his invitations have been ignored. "Compassion for World Farming don't reply to my letters. The really extreme organisations can't afford to say things are getting better because their existence depends on emotions," he reasons. "I don't mind them being critical but I'm offering them the chance to have a direct influence." Sir Colin has the same pragmatic but caring approach to both domestic and farm animals. "Farmers feel picked on ­ and they are to some extent. Many people feel that battery cages are evil but when you ask them how they keep hamsters they realise that there is little difference. Farmers appreciate that I think that way." Despite his concern for animals, Sir Colin is not a vegetarian, although he admits he eats little meat. "I cook for myself and I'm not that fond of meat." He is still advisor to the House of Commons' Select Committee that looks into organic farming, but admits gleefully: "I don't buy organic food either!" He is now involved in a plethora of animal welfare issues and is a self-confessed "very peculiar individual", having left school at the age of 14 without taking any exams. A first job in a chemical lab, washing up glasses, was punctuated by evenings spent studying for a degree in zoology. This was followed by 26 years with the Grassland Research Institute where he wrote books on ecology. "Because I thought across the board, Reading University asked me to become chair of agricultural systems, which I did for 20 years." Sir Colin became interested in animal welfare, but by his own admission did nothing about it until invited to become chair of the Animal Welfare Council in 1988. "Most people below retirement age come with some baggage. I still want to make a contribution to society." Slippers and a pipe by the fireside do not beckon and he has a long list of "current activities" on his extensive CV. Tenures in his busy past have encompassed a variety of organisations, from governor of the Royal Agricultural College to chairman of the Apple and Pear Research Council. Now he is chairman of the National Equine Forum organising committee, deputy chairman of the PDSA and advisor for the Companion Animal Welfare Council to name but a few. He collects retirement presents almost on a montly basis, as he regularly withdraws from groups, but keeps up the workload by becoming involved in new ones. "What else would I do at my age?" he jokes. "I love keeping busy and wouldn't want to retire from working. I have a strong motivation to help society. I don't do it for the material rewards ­ not that there are many!" A widower of 12 years, Sir Colin says poignantly that he would not have the same workload if his wife was still alive. "Most people need to be wanted and want to be needed and in a good marriage you have both. If you're on your own you need to be needed by somebody else." But he is not content to rest on his laurels and says rather than bask in self-satisfied glory, looking back at past achievements, he dwells on what he hasn't done or could have done better. "I don't do things because I enjoy them though ­ who would want to watch a video of a Spanish slaughterhouse in their spare time?" Despite the gruelling subject nature, Sir Colin says animal welfare is a source of great satisfaction, however depressing the picture might be on a world scale, and he is constantly striving to help introduce worldwide standards. "The retailers are the most powerful agents for change. They don't have to take notice of what Europe does. They know customers won't buy food if it is surrounded by some scandal and they don't want to be caught if it backfires." His demanding work schedule means that he doesn't now keep animals, a shame, he says, as his family always had dogs, cats and ponies. However his home at Hurst, Berkshire, has three and a half acres of land on which he loves gardening. When he does get some free time, Sir Colin enjoys taking local schoolchildren around his garden on impromptu wildlife trails. "I put dustbin lids down on the grass to collect small animals for them to find." Not content with a life of lecturing and public service, Sir Colin has also been a prolific author, penning 13 books on subjects as diverse as sheep production, grasses and legumes, and most latterly, animal welfare. His impartiality has caused problems though, as potential publishers have demanded a less balanced view. "Penguin told my agent I was too detached and that if I could write less dispassionately, my last book could have been a bestseller. But I won't compromise." {{PROFILE }}

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