Activists deface King Charles' official portrait with Wallace cut-out in protest against RSPCA farms

King Charles' new official portrait was the target of a stunt by animal rights campaigners today (June 11). Members from the group Animal Rising affixed an image of Wallace from the beloved animation Wallace and Gromit over the monarch's visage, complete with a dialogue balloon stating: "No Cheese, Gromit. Look At All This Cruelty On RSPCA Farms!"

The incident occurred around noon at the esteemed Philip Mould art gallery in the capital.

On Sunday, Animal Rising published a damning report alleging widespread cruelty at each of the 45 RSPCA Assured farms they purportedly examined. The document accuses these farms of a staggering 280 legal violations and 94 breaches of DEFRA standards, prompting the activists to urge the RSPCA to abandon its assurance programme, reports MyLondon.

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Daniel Juniper, a former Early Years Practitioner who participated in the protest, remarked: "With King Charles being such a big fan of Wallace and Gromit, we couldn't think of a better way to draw his attention to the horrific scenes on RSPCA Assured farms. Even though we hope this is amusing to His Majesty, we also call on him to seriously reconsider if he wants to be associated with the awful suffering across farms being endorsed by the RSPCA."

"Charles has made it clear he is sensitive to the suffering of animals in UK farms; now is the perfect time for him to step up and call on the RSPCA to drop the Assured Scheme and tell the truth about animal farming."

The RSPCA has issued a statement in response to the accusations from Animal Rising, with a spokesperson expressing their dismay: "We are shocked by this vandalism of His Majesty King, our Patron's, portrait. We welcome scrutiny of our work, but we cannot condone illegal activity of any kind. Our staff and volunteers work extremely hard rescuing, caring for, and speaking up for animals. Animal Rising's sustained activity is distracting from our focus on the work that really matters - helping thousands of animals every day."

They further defended their practices, stating: "We remain confident that our RSPCA Assured scheme is the best way to help farmed animals right now, while campaigning to change their lives in the future. RSPCA higher welfare standards have been independently proven to make lives better for millions of animals every year.

"It is the difference between a hen spending her life in a cage, or not. A mother pig giving birth in a farrowing crate, or not. Pigs having comfortable bedding to sleep on, or not.

"It means salmon have compulsory veterinary health welfare plans, and stocking density is half that seen in America. An independent review of RSPCA Assured in 2021 found it was making a 'positive and significant impact on improving the lives of 136 million animals a year in the UK'.

"However, any concerns about welfare on RSPCA Assured certified farms are taken extremely seriously and RSPCA Assured is acting swiftly to look into these allegations. After receiving the footage on Sunday, RSPCA Assured has launched an immediate, urgent investigation.

"We have responded openly and transparently to Animal Rising's challenges to our farming work. While we understand that Animal Rising, like us, want the best for animals, their activity is a distraction and a challenge to the work we are all doing to create a better world for every animal."