Trustees' report and accounts 2012 - TRUSTEES' REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2010 - ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS - RSPCA
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Trustees’ report and accounts 2012 ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2010
Photo: Jason Finch/RSPCA photolibrary
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Contents
Chief Executive and Chairman’s joint foreword 04
Trustees’ report 05
Independent auditors’ report 22
Consolidated statement of financial activities 23
Consolidated balance sheet 24
Consolidated cash flow statement 25
Accounting policies 26
Notes to the accounts 28
Purpose of funds 40
Principal addresses 41
RSPCA Council members 42
Staff directors 42
How you can help the RSPCA 43
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 03
CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND CHAIRMAN’S JOINT FOREWORD
2012: Facing up to challenges
Chief Executive and Chairman’s joint foreword
The RSPCA, like most charities, faces an ever increasing workload in an ever more challenging fundraising
environment. Through our inspectorate, branches and front-line staff and in RSPCA animal centres and hospitals,
we care for the most abused, abandoned and vulnerable animals.
There is a growing crisis in animal welfare in England and Wales. successful programme of voluntary redundancy and redeployment,
To give just one example: in 2012 the Society took in over 700 none of our valued colleagues were subject to compulsory
horses – the largest number ever. It can cost over £100 a week to redundancy. We are always very sorry to see any staff leave
feed and care for a horse and with our own facilities overflowing, the RSPCA and are grateful for their service. This has meant an
over two thirds of our horses have to be placed in private increased workload for our smaller staff base. Two particular areas
boarding. Even though the RSPCA rehomed a record number – veterinary costs and boarding fees – have proved the most
of horses in 2012, the number remaining in our care at the end difficult to control as we seek never to turn away an animal in
of the year had only decreased by a handful. need. This will remain a challenge in 2013.
The RSPCA on its own cannot solve this problem. We are working During the year we showed our determination to continue to
with all the other major equine organisations. All of us are pressing increase our collaborative work with other animal organisations.
the governments in Wales and England to make it easier for This underpinned some of our notable victories in 2012. Our
enforcement agencies to tackle the problem of 6,000 horses work with 14 other organisations under the Team Badger banner
which are being left to fly-graze on private and public land. The saw off the government’s first attempts in England to cull badgers
economic downturn has only increased the pressure as owners in pilot areas as a means of controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB)
who cannot afford the upkeep of their horses abandon them and in cattle. This work continues in 2013 in the face of new attempts
people cut corners on care and avoid regulations designed to to start the cull.
protect horse welfare. The equine crisis is a particular challenge
Our work with Thanet Council and grassroots organisations in Kent
but the RSPCA is facing similar demands in relation to dogs, cats
put inspectors back on the ground at Ramsgate port which then
and other companion animals.
banned the trade in long distance transport of animals to the
Financially, 2012 may appear in these accounts to have been more continent. The private port of Ipswich also rejected the trade. It
successful for the RSPCA than recent years but this masks a restarted from Ramsgate despite, in our view, inadequate facilities
significant underlying challenge. Prospective legacies to the Society at the port, inadequate inspections of sheep being loaded and
must be allocated to income in the year in which they are notified sheep being placed at risk through sailings in poor weather
to us, rather than the year in which cash is actually received by us. conditions. There is a long way to go before we can say that we
This can often be some years later. The RSPCA had an unusually have won this battle, but the RSPCA will continue to give a voice
high level of notifications of large legacies in 2012 but these will to those that don’t have one – the animals being shipped abroad –
take considerable time to be settled and for the money to be until this trade is ended.
available. Also in 2012, the RSPCA received one-off income of
2012 will also be remembered as the year in which a major intensive
£6m from the sale of its old Birmingham animal hospital site.
farming system was finally outlawed. The conventional battery
Even taking legacy notifications into account, there is an underlying cage was prohibited and now over half the eggs on sale in the UK
downward trend in legacy income across the charitable sector. are from free range systems. The RSPCA has been lobbying for
With people feeling the pinch, there was also an underlying decline this for five decades and has played an integral role in providing
in non-legacy income and limited progress in improving the cash a solution through Freedom Food which accounts for over 90 per
income available to the RSPCA. cent of all free range eggs sold in the UK.
We are trying to do more with less. As a consequence, we took Work to help animals used in research and testing focused
difficult decisions in 2012 to cut costs. A major change programme particularly on the implementation of the EU Directive on research
commenced and 120 posts were removed from our establishment. animals into UK law. While the RSPCA welcomed the agreement on
40 new posts were added resulting in a net loss of 80 posts. Core the Directive in 2010, we remained concerned that the UK’s higher
animal welfare posts were protected so none of these losses came standards would be lost when the law was implemented. By the
from the inspectorate or any other front line jobs. Thanks to a end of the year when the law was adopted these concerns had
04 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
RSPCA Trustees’ report
Strategic plan 2010-15: progress against goals
In 2012 the RSPCA began a review of its long-term
strategy to take us forward to our 200th anniversary
in 2024. The strategy will be presented to RSPCA
members and supporters in mid-2013.
dissipated and most of the RSPCA’s objectives had been
achieved. Work on reducing severe suffering for laboratory The report on activities set out here is under the four
animals concentrated on establishing contacts in laboratories high level goals defined in the existing 2010-15 strategy,
and drawing up a list of procedures and models that can cause as agreed in December 2009:
severe suffering which will enable the development of ideas
to reduce these tests. ��� Goal 1
In October, the incoming Commissioner for animal research, To grow and develop the RSPCA to ensure that it is effective
Tonio Borg, agreed that he would not seek a postponement of and fit for purpose to meet the increasing future demands
the marketing ban in the Cosmetics Regulation (1223/2009/EC) of animal welfare.
when he came into office. This will mean that, 20 years after the
ban was first written into EU law, non-animal tested cosmetics
should finally be the only ones available in the EU. ��� Goal 2
The RSPCA’s work overseas accounts for just 0.6 per cent of To effectively allocate resources to best meet the RSPCA’s
the total budget. Priority is currently given to EU candidate animal welfare objectives.
countries, southern Africa and East Asia. In 2012 we delivered
training to improve stray dog control in Turkey and held animal
welfare workshops with regional and national laboratory animal ��� Goal 3
science associations in China, Taiwan and Serbia.
To ensure that the operational activities of the RSPCA are
RSPCA International also supported a seminar held in conducted consistently, effectively and efficiently to support
South Korea on improving lab animal welfare through better the animal welfare services of the Society.
experimental design. In Malawi the Clinic in a Box – an £85,000
collection of veterinary equipment and materials – was donated
to Lilongwe’s new animal clinic, dramatically increasing ��� Goal 4
veterinary treatment in that country. In 2012 we also delivered To support the proactive animal welfare strategies
humane slaughter training in Turkey (cattle and sheep) and for companion, wild, farm and research animals.
Malaysia (poultry). Continuing a major education project with
China’s National Institute for Education Sciences, we held our
fifth three-day education workshop. Since 2008 around 13,500
teachers and more than 300,000 children across China have
taken part in activities cascaded under the project.
Many challenges remain and we can only tackle them if the
RSPCA is on a financially sustainable footing. We are determined
to complete this job in 2013 and also focus the Society on the
challenges ahead by agreeing a new long-term strategy that will
see us through to our 200th birthday in 2024.
Joe Murphy/RSPCA photolibrary
Gavin Grant Michael Tomlinson
Chief executive, rspca CHAIRMAN, RSPCA COUNCIL
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 05
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Five pledges to help animals and improve their welfare
In 2010 the RSPCA established five pledges – targeting specific issues from Goal 4 – that we want to see
delivered by 2016. Work programmes were established in 2011 and the pledges were launched in early 2012.
The five pledges are summarised here with further details of progress on them on pages 9-16:
1 NUMBER OF DOGS AND CATS NEUTERED BY THE RSPCA 2005-2012
To end the overpopulation of 60,000
companion animals and tackle 52,500
the related issues.
45,000
Summary of progress
37,500 Dogs
In 2012 the RSPCA neutered slightly fewer
Cats
dogs and cats than in 2011, as it stopped
30,000
issuing neutering vouchers pending a
review of the system. It is difficult to 22,500
evaluate the impact of neutering on
the animal population as the baseline 15,000
population is usually unknown but a
7,500
two-year study on cats in Stoke will
address this and report in 2013. 0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
2 Numbers ofDOGS
NUMBER OF rehomeable cats,
AND CATS dogs and
NEUTERED rabbits
BY THE RSPCA 2005-2011
euthanAsed 2005-2012
To end the euthanasia of any 2,000 Dogs
rehomeable animal. Cats
Rabbits
Summary of progress
1,500
Due the problems created by overbreeding
and the irresponsible trade, purchase and
ON LY
ownership of companion animals, the
I TIO NAL
numbers of companion animals entering
rescue and rehoming centres continues to
1,000
P OS
be overwhelming. This is only heightened
by the wider economic climate. Charities 500
have a responsibility to ensure that animals
do not languish in kennels for long periods.
The responsibility falls most heavily on
0
local authorities and those charities like the 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
RSPCA that prioritise the welfare of the
worst-off animals. Due to continued efforts and Wales are falling. This work continues with 2013 seeing a major programme
from ourselves and our sister charities to seeking to understand the profile of adopters of companion animals with a view
educate, neuter, microchip and rehome, to broadening the market for rehoming. We will also continue to focus on
overall euthanasia figures across England neutering and all areas of irresponsible breeding, trade and ownership.
06 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012TRUSTEES’ REPORT
3
To increase the proportion of farm
NUMBER OF DOGS
Percentage AND CATS
of farm NEUTERED
animals BYunder
reared THE RSPCA 2005-2011
higher
60000
52500
animals reared under higher welfare
45000
37500
30000
22500
15000
welfare standards IN THE UK
7500
0
systems in the UK. %
Summary of progress 10
The overall proportion of farm animals kept
under higher welfare conditions decreased 8
in 2012 after a rise in 2011. This was mainly
due to a 24 million bird decrease in the
number of chickens kept under the Freedom 6
Food scheme which saw its market share
reduced to two per cent of the UK flock,
4
following withdrawal of products from
certain supermarkets. There were also
decreases in the duck and turkey sectors. 2
There were increases in market share in pigs
which is now over 30 per cent of the UK
herd and laying hens which now account 0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
for nearly half the laying hen flock following
the final withdrawal of the conventional
battery cage across the EU in 2012. Work on greater numbers of animals whose individual welfare was improved as well as a
this pledge has a high impact as there are greater number of consumers choosing higher welfare options despite the recession.
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
NUMBER OF PROJECTS IN THE ‘SUBSTANTIAL’ (SEVERE) CATegory
4 in the ukOF
NUMBER 1998 – 2011
DOGS AND CATS NEUTERED BY THE RSPCA 2005-2011
80
To reduce the number of animals 70
in the UK who undergo severe
suffering when used in experiments. 60
Summary of progress 50
Data relating to this pledge is published 40
by the Home Office a year following its
collection, so the most recent statistics 30
relate to animal use in 2011. These figures
20
show the number of projects that were
classified as severe, but do not state how 10
many individual animals within each project
actually experienced the severe level 0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 20072008 2009 2010 2011
of suffering. This will now change – the
implementation of Directive 2010/63/EC Throughout 2012, we focused on reducing and eventually ending severe
into UK legislation which occurred on 1st suffering. The RSPCA identified procedures that can cause severe suffering
January 2013 now requires that the level of and implemented an ongoing programme of engagement with research
suffering for individual animals is reported establishments to develop ways of reducing suffering in these areas. Society
annually. The first data is due in 2014. This staff also took a leading role in a European Commission expert working group set
greater transparency about animal suffering up to provide EU-wide guidance on assessing the level of severity of procedures
in research is something the RSPCA fought on animals, fighting to ensure that the guidance focussed on understanding what
hard to achieve. animals actually experience so that suffering could be alleviated.
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 07TRUSTEES’ REPORT
5
To reduce the number of exotics
kept as pets and increase their Number of live reptiles imported to the UK 2004 – 2010
humane care. 500,000
Summary of progress
Reptile imports to the UK for 2010, the 400,000
latest data available, show an increase for
both endangered and non-endangered
species. In 2011 the RSPCA dealt with 6,800 300,000
incidents involving over 32,000 exotic
animals, of which 8,700 were reptiles.
Snakes and lizards are the groups most 200,000
commonly taken in.
2008 2009 2010 2011
In 2013 a new and updated course on
100,000
exotics will be developed and incorporated
into RSPCA student inspector training. In
addition, exotics officers will be recruited
0
and will undertake specialist training 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
focussed on reptiles and primates.
The following sections
of this report look
at the progress made
in 2012 to meet the
work programmes
set up under each of
Philip Toscano/RSPCA photolibrary
the RSPCA’s defined
high level goals,
cross-referenced to
budget expended.
08 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012TRUSTEES’ REPORT
��� Goal 1 products launched include RSPCA Mobile and an RSPCA Savings
To grow and develop the RSPCA to ensure that it is Account provided by Yorkshire Building Society.
effective and fit for purpose to meet the increasing In the coming year we will look to increase income generation
future demands of animal welfare. from commercial activities and will look to build on key
commercial relationships with, for example, More than,
1.1 To increase the income of the RSPCA
Pets at Home, Wow Toys, RBS and others.
Income generation remains very challenging for the RSPCA
as it does for all charities. Although top line figures suggest an The level of our business engagement increased. RSPCA Week
increase in overall income in 2012 (up from £100.7 million in 2011 was relaunched in 2012 and earned £372,000 against a target of
to £112.4 million in 2012) this has to be seen against a background £360,000 with over £31,000 raised from corporate fundraising.
of a decrease in non-legacy income (reducing from £45.9 million The remainder was raised through collections by RSPCA
in 2011 to £44.2 million in 2012) and limited progress in increasing branches in partnership with Tesco. The RSPCA licensing
cash income to the Society. So whilst the RSPCA did receive a programme continued to grow and raised over £320,000 in
net income of £12.7 million on unrestricted funds in 2012, as 2012 with WH Smith, Benchmark Brands Ltd, Funkypigeon.com,
against a budgeted net expenditure of £3 million, this position Hallmark and Wow Toys joining an increasing list of partners.
was driven by two one-off income streams, namely £6 million Significant contributions for seasonal sales from the John
from the sale of the redundant RSPCA Birmingham animal Lewis Partnership of over £53,000, WH Smith of over £10,000
hospital site and an exceptional number of high value legacy and Special Editions of over £35,000 sit alongside a very
notifications in the year pushing the legacy income up by 25 successful launch by SERT-MST Plc of an RSPCA range of wild
per cent. These legacy notifications can give a false impression. bird food and accessories into all Tesco stores which raised over
Whilst income is recognised in the 2012 accounts, the estates £55,000 – a contribution that is projected to double in 2013.
may take some years to be settled and so these amounts In 2012 the RSPCA operated 265 charity shops of which three
may not yet be available for the RSPCA as cash income. were owned by the national Society.
The underlying income generation position continues to be
1.2 To increase the resources deployed by the RSPCA
highly challenging.
In 2012 the poor financial resources position of the RSPCA
The legacy situation itself remains volatile. Due to the high (see 1.3) resulted in a contraction of non-front line posts by 120
number of large value legacy notifications, accrued legacy and although some 40 posts were added this resulted in a
income was £11.2 million ahead of budget. However cash net loss of some 80 posts and a projected budget saving to
legacy income was £55.5 million – the second lowest in the RSPCA of £2 million annually.
the past six years – showing the difficulty of forecasting legacy
Core animal welfare posts were protected so none of these
income and the time difference before accrued income is
losses came from the inspectorate or any other front line jobs.
turned into liquid assets.
Thanks to a successful programme of voluntary redundancy
Unrestricted income from contributions and donations was £41.0 and redeployment, none of our valued colleagues were subject
million compared to £38.8 million in 2011. Direct marketing raised to compulsory redundancy. We are always very sorry to see any
£26.4 million; an increase on the 2011 figure. However, a greater staff leave the RSPCA and are grateful for their service.
investment in both door-to-door and face-to-face marketing was
However, this has meant an increased workload for our smaller
required to achieve a similar level of income. Other fundraising
staff base. Two particular areas, veterinary costs and boarding
income fell by 31 per cent. The net income for non-legacy
fees, have proved the most difficult to control as we seek never
fundraising was £29.3 million compared to £30.8 million in 2011
to turn away an animal in need. This will remain a challenge in 2013.
– a relatively good performance in the current economic
environment but an indication of continuing challenges ahead. 1.3 To ensure the financial security of the RSPCA
The financial position of the RSPCA has been challenging for
In the last two years the RSPCA has broadened its approach
a number of years and continued to be so in 2012. The financial
away from seeking grants solely from bodies that are specific
position at the end of 2012 appeared more stable than at the
to animal welfare. We now also look to build partnerships with
beginning, but the RSPCA still spent more cash in 2012 than it
grant-making bodies that fund work with young people,
received which is not sustainable in the long term.
education and social issues. The National Lottery grant for
the work with young people at RSPCA Mallydams Wood At the beginning of 2012 the RSPCA had free reserves
Wildlife Centre, which continued into 2012 is an example of this. equivalent to 2.6 months of operating expenditure – below
its policy of three to six months. To restore the RSPCA
Overall charitable trust income was £459k against a budget of
to a balanced budget the trustees agreed to a programme
£660k. The combined Major Donor and High Value Programme
of reorganisation, which, alongside the reduction in staff
– a developing income stream for the RSPCA – brought in £819k
establishment referred to above, also included reducing
against a target of £860k.
the number of and the use of consultants and a tightening
The corporate fundraising team continued to build relationships of departmental budgets across the Society. As a result of the
with new and existing partners. Pet Insurance continues to grow reorganisation, staff costs were £2.2 million under budget by
with a seven per cent increase in 2012, and new corporate related year end 2012.
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 09
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Trustees have agreed a balanced budget of £109 million for 2013. and many more. On one occasion just one Facebook post about
However as expenditure was £119 million in 2012 this will entail the irresponsible dog ownership campaign generated more than
further savings that need to be realised, as well as countering 2,500 signatures on a petition.
the effects of inflation and increasing demand for our services.
The RSPCA was ranked 4th in the annual charity press benchmarking
For instance, in 2012 the increasing number of animals in our
table compared to 8th in 2011 – generating over 26,000 articles,
care impacted on the RSPCA’s veterinary and boarding costs
compared to 24,000 the previous year. The Society retains its
which were over budget and higher than in 2011.
leading spot for animal charities for mainstream media by over
Investment gains of £6.0 million during the year, after the £6.4 16,000 articles compared to its nearest competitor.
million loss in 2011, helped to restore the free reserves position
The RSPCA continued its collaborative work with other charities
from £26.8 million to £45 million which at five months
including joint work with Cats Protection on the proactive cat
expenditure, returns the RSPCA to a level required by our
neutering programme in Stoke to evaluate the effectiveness of
reserves policy. The performance of the RSPCA investment
targeted neutering on the cat population. Our joint work with
portfolio was consistent with the overall performance of the
the major dog organisations to call for mandatory microchipping
stock market during 2012. Although there was a gain during 2012
in England resulted in a government announcement in February
from investments, in total the RSPCA has lost £8.9 million on
2013 which confirmed this was the intention of the Government
the value of its investments over the past five years.
in England. The Government in Wales has already signalled its
The Society reorganisation also led to a reduction in the intention to bring this in during 2013. The Society also worked
number of RSPCA regions in England from five to two (South with seven other equine organisations to call for new measures
of England; Midlands and the North of England) and for the to tackle the horse overpopulation issue.
first time created a new ‘region’ for the nation of Wales.
The RSPCA joined with 14 other organisations including
1.4 To ensure sound governance and membership Dr. Brian May’s Save Me, the League Against Cruel Sports and
The numbers of members in 2012 declined slightly from 26,151 the International Fund for Animal Welfare to call for a stop
to 25,512. A review of the RSPCA’s membership and supporter to the proposed cull of badgers in England. Together over
strategy was initiated in 2012. Whilst formal membership of the 160,000 signatures were gathered on a No. 10 petition to force a
RSPCA has declined somewhat, overall support for the RSPCA parliamentary debate on the issue, resulting in overwhelming
is rising as the public show their support in different ways. The political support to add to the existing weight of scientific and
review will seek to maximise this opportunity whilst attending public opinion. This was initially successful when the Minister
to the demands of the RSPCA’s governance requirements. paused the anticipated cull in October 2012, although the
1.5 To continue to recruit and retain a skilled, effective and campaign began again in 2013 when the Minister signalled
motivated workforce his intention to go ahead with the cull later in the year.
In 2012, the RSPCA undertook an extensive staff reorganisation Our campaign to end the live export of farm animals
which resulted in a net reduction of 80 posts. At the same continues, working with organisations such as Compassion in
time, a number of teams were brought together under a new World Farming and local campaigning groups such as Kent Action
Marketing and Campaigns Division, achieving greater efficiency Against Live Exports. We continue to work with seven different
and integration of public-facing activity. New teams were international organisations such as the World Society for the
designated under three regional directors and a review of the Protection of Animals and Humane Society International on
RSPCA inspectorate resulted in the Chief Inspectorate Officer improving global standards for animal welfare through the
post being redesignated a Director-level position. A new United Nations, World Animal Health Organisation and World
Chief Veterinary Officer position was created and an Trade Organisation (WTO) and drew up a joint legal brief on the
appointment made. seal cull which was handed to the WTO.
1.6 To effectively manage the RSPCA’s positioning with In 2012 we launched a new animal welfare partnership with Pets
other charities at Home which included opening the first in-store facility
The RSPCA regularly benchmarks its performance against other dedicated to the RSPCA, in Stockport, and distributing joint
charities. For example, traffic to its website and Facebook and information leaflets on pet care. These outlets will be a way to
Twitter followers all grew in 2012 by 25 per cent, 11 per cent, and increase rehoming of RSPCA animals, reaching out to a segment
91 per cent respectively and the RSPCA retained its position as of the population that the RSPCA has not talked to previously.
the leading animal welfare organisation on Facebook. Twitter
users now stand at 61,000 against a 2012 target of 30,000
Becky Murray/RSPCA photolibrary
Facebook followers are now in excess of 375,000. Third Sector’s
Charity Web Check ranked the RSPCA as the second best
charity in the UK for use of the social media. Social media and
the email marketing programme (11 million emails sent in 2012)
again proved itself as a powerful campaigning tool, driving tens
of thousands of actions for dogs, live transport, badgers, ducks
10 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
��� Goal 2 As Table 1 (see page 12) shows, the number of investigations of
complaints of alleged cruelty fell by five per cent and represented
To effectively allocate resources to best meet the
one per cent of all calls that the RSPCA took. Of these complaints
RSPCA’s animal welfare objectives. just over 2,000 cases (one per cent of all complaints investigated)
2.1 To match resources with the welfare and operational goals were reported to the prosecutions department for further
set by the RSPCA Council assessment. The educational and advice element provided by
Proactive programmes concentrated resources on those areas our inspectors represents a much larger proportion of how
where welfare needs such as degree of suffering, and numbers complaints were investigated and acted upon. In 2012, 78,090
of animals were greatest. Progress to achieve these aims is welfare improvement advices were handed out, a slight drop from
reported to the strategic animal welfare committees twice a last year but as these pieces of welfare advice have a success
year. These are reported in more detail under Goal 4 (page 13). rate of over 90 per cent, this underlines its importance as a
successful education tool for animal owners.
Work delivered through RSPCA hospitals is concentrated on
members of the public that cannot afford private veterinary The provision of training courses for professionals working in the
treatment (defined as being in receipt of certain state benefits). youth justice sector remains a key activity. Three members of
In 2012 there was a fall in all indicators used to measure staff worked three days per week for 39 weeks in 2012, delivering
hospitals such as a reduction in the number of outpatient visits training sessions, using the Breaking the Chain programme, to 138
by eight per cent. This was due to the rebuild at RSPCA youth offending teams, secure children’s homes and probation
Birmingham animal hospital and the refurbishment at services – 396 professionals in all. Young People and Dogs (a
RSPCA Harmsworth animal hospital which impacted on resource that addresses the problems of urban dog ownership)
their capacity during the year. training was delivered at 15 events to 138 professionals.
In its last year with Big Lottery funding, Hastings Wild Things at
Figure 6 Work at the RSPCA hospitals 2008-2012 RSPCA Mallydams Wood Centre has exceeded its target of
– measured by five different indicators reaching over 3,338 new visitors, many of them economically and
200,000 socially disadvantaged children and families. The Access to Nature
programmes introduce these groups to a range of animal
150,000 welfare and conservation issues, often for the first time.
100,000 Funding from Vodafone allowed us to extend our training
programme to Family Intervention programmes and child fostering
50,000 organisations. Education and training development advisers
delivered 85 courses at 56 universities and establishments during
0
11 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 the year, providing a curriculum-linked interactive workshop that
reached over 4,000 teachers in training. The RSPCA education
Numbers of outpatient visits Numbers of hospitalisations
Number of vaccinations Number of neuters website had 91,770 unique visitors in 2012, 27 per cent returning
Number of operations regularly to the site and we are now able to recognise our most
popular lesson plans and activities – the four areas of concern are all
covered in the top ten most popular downloads.
200,000
2.2 To manage resource allocation to achieve the
2.4 To maximise international opportunities to improve animal
maximum reduction of suffering
150,000 welfare and to respond effectively to international threats
In 2012 the RSPCA secured over 4,000 convictions in courts
100,000
The RSPCA’s work overseas accounts for just 0.6 per cent of the
(Table 1 on page 12) – a rise of over 30 per cent since 2011 – while
total budget. Priority is currently given to EU candidate
the number of defendants convicted also rose to 1,552. This
50,000 countries, southern Africa and East Asia. In 2012 we delivered
increase may be due to a number of factors such as rises in feed
training to improve stray dog control in Turkey and held animal
bills0especially for horses and people cutting back on veterinary
11 costs, and2008 governmental2010
the use of the2009 2011 and
codes in England welfare workshops with regional and national laboratory animal
Wales as evidence. Although the vast majority of convictions science associations in China, Taiwan and Serbia. RSPCA
still relate to offences on dogs (62 per cent), the number of International also supported a seminar held in South Korea on
convictions for horses has risen the most steeply (by 117 per improving lab animal welfare through better experimental design.
cent) and underlines the equine crisis being experienced by In Malawi the Clinic in a Box, an £85,000 collection of veterinary
the RSPCA and other horse welfare organisations as numbers equipment and materials, was donated to Lilongwe’s new animal
of horses continue to rise and the impact of the recession on clinic dramatically increasing veterinary treatment in that country.
horse owners continues. In 2012 we also delivered humane slaughter training in Turkey (cattle
2.3 To increase the emphasis on the prevention of cruelty and sheep) and Malaysia (poultry). Continuing a major education
The preventative element of the RSPCA’s work falls into three project with China’s National Institute for Education Sciences, we
main areas: the educational strategy, improving public awareness held our fifth three-day education workshop. Since 2008 around
through campaigns and the educational and advice work carried 13,500 teachers and more than 300,000 children across China
out by our inspectors. have taken part in activities cascaded under the project.
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 11
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
��� Goal 3
To ensure that the operational activities of the RSPCA In 2012 the number of complaints of alleged cruelty and numbers
are conducted consistently, effectively and efficiently of cases reported to the prosecutions department stayed broadly
the same as in 2011. The Animal Welfare Act accounted for 95 per
to support the animal welfare services of the RSPCA.
cent of all convictions secured by the RSPCA for animal offences in
Calls answered by the RSPCA’s National Control Centre (NCC) fell 2012, the same figure as 2011 of which exactly half were for causing
by five per cent in 2012 to 893,000 but the 310,000 calls that were unnecessary suffering and 45 per cent for welfare offences.
answered by the NCC’s automated response (IVR) meant they
received a grand total of over 1.1 million calls during the year. The Table 1 RSPCA operational statistics for England and Wales 2012
advice team’s telephone unit was closed in September 2012 as part
of the RSPCA’s efficiency measures. The Virtual Assistant (VA) – an Advice and prosecution statistics England and Wales
2012 2011
on-line tool set up to answer enquiries – handled over 216,000
conversations during the year as against its target of 70,000. This Telephone calls answered 1,163,428 1,314,795
was a 261 per cent increase on 2011, its first year of operation. It Complaints of alleged cruelty 150,833 159,759
investigated
is estimated the Virtual Assistant saved nearly 43,000 calls to the
Welfare improvement notices dispensed 78,090 79,174
RSPCA during the year. The VA was also made available to branches
Animals collected/signed over/seized 194,695 119,126
for the first time. Online enquiries, via the website, continued to rise
Cases reported to RSPCA 2,093 2,018
to over 22,000 whilst the number of letters received dropped by prosecutions department
24 per cent. People reported to RSPCA 3,181 3,036
prosecutions department
Figure 7 Number of calls and advice given by the Convictions secured 4,168 3,114
RSPCA 2005-11 in the magistrates’ court
Defendants convicted 1,552 (28) 1,341 (24)
1,500,000 for adults (and juveniles)
Prison and (suspended) sentences 86 (178) 74 (140)
1,200,000 Community sentences 772 620
Disqualification orders 1,265 1,100
900,000
Welsh prosecution statistics 2012 2011
600,000
Cases reported to RSPCA 174 146
prosecutions department
300,000 People reported to RSPCA 288 220
prosecutions department
0 Convictions secured in the 248 239
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 magistrates’ court
Total calls Calls to National Call Centre Defendants convicted for 91 (1) 84 (1)
Total answered by the Interactive Voice Response adults and (juveniles)
Advice team calls answered by the RSPCA
Table 2 Animals rehomed, released, neutered, microchipped,
and animal treatments 2012
Dogs Cats Wildlife Total Total
and other 2012 2011
Rehomed 11,356 29,556 14,547 55,459 60,551
Released 0 646 14,645 15,291 16,660
Animals 19,442 54,221 6,144 79,807 82,812
neutered
Animals 20,095 35,988 2,839 58,922 61,903
Joe Murphy/RSPCA photolibrary
microchipped
Animal Out-patients Operations 183,460 203,173
treatments 175,397 8,063
(excluding neutering)
12 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
The number of animals rehomed by the RSPCA decreased in 2012.
In 2010 the RSPCA updated its policy on the admission of animals FIGURE 8 Summary of outcomes for admissions to wildlife
centres 2005-12
to our care. The overwhelming numbers of animals needing homes
in England and Wales has meant that the RSPCA, like many other 20,000
animal organisations, is having to make very difficult choices. Since
2010 we have prioritised admitting the animals into our care which
15,000
are the most needy or at risk, such as those experiencing cruelty
or welfare problems, those that are the subject of legal proceedings
and those that have been abandoned. As a result, a greater number 10,000
of animals in our care can be more difficult to rehome either because
they are from less popular breeds or because they display more
5,000
challenging behaviour – although they can make excellent pets.
��� Goal 4
0
To support the proactive animal welfare strategies 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
for companion, wild, farm and research animals. Numbers admitted Numbers released
4.1 Wildlife
PLEDGE: to reduce the numbers of exotics kept as pets
and increase their humane care Captive wildlife
Work has concentrated particularly on building links with other In 2012 the number of wild animals in circuses dropped to fewer
organisations, highlighting areas for research and knowledge than 30 being used by three circuses. However, the government
sharing. We have also been working internally to enhance training – despite the House of Commons vote in 2011 to ban the use of
for field staff and to invest in the development and training of wild animals – continued producing and implementing regulations
specialist field officers and develop a network of boarding facilities to license the remaining animals. The RSPCA continued its work
in our animal centres. with other like-minded organisations to press for a ban and in 2012
the Minister gave the clearest indication yet that the government
Casualty wildlife was against the use of wild animals in circuses and would draft
RSPCA wildlife centres admitted 16,136 casualties in 2012, a slight drop legislation to prohibit them. This was due to be released in early
on the previous two years. Over 6,000 of these animals were released 2013. In Wales, a Member Bill was tabled to introduce a ban but
back to the wild representing 38 per cent of total intake (Figure 8). the Welsh Government indicated that it would allow Westminster
It is important to remember that the majority of the wild animals to produce an Act that could be used in both countries. The
attended by the RSPCA are the subject of road traffic or other
successful prosecution of Bobby Roberts, owner of Bobby Roberts
accidents which mean that euthanasia is sadly required to prevent
Super Circus, for welfare offences against Anne the elephant
further suffering – often immediately. Hedgehogs represented
underlined the need for a ban.
over 2,000 of the numbers admitted (13 per cent of the total), a
significant increase on the numbers admitted in 2011. Hedgehogs Wildlife management
have been declining since the 1950s but the causes are unknown. The campaign to prevent a proposed cull of badgers as an ill-judged
With wild hedgehog numbers around one million compared to attempt to combat bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England and
30 million 60 years ago, research is now underway on hedgehog Wales dominated 2012. The RSPCA is concerned equally about the
post-release survival to assess the best way to care for hedgehogs. welfare of cattle and badgers and, along with the vast majority
There are other research projects being undertaken on a range of of scientific, parliamentary and public opinion, believes that an
species including buzzards, little owls and foxes. approach combining the vaccination of both badgers and – in the
longer term – cows, along with improved biosecurity, would be a
The RSPCA has continued its review of the independent
far more effective approach.
establishments it uses to place rehabilitated wildlife and has now
approved 61 of these establishments. All the wildlife centres The proposed cull was abandoned in Wales in March 2012 following
are now involved in the training of the inspectorate in the an independent scientific review with badger vaccination being
euthanasia of wildlife casualties. Scientific papers were published prioritised. By the end of the year over 1,400 badgers had been
on wood pigeons, pipistrelle bats, common seals and the vaccinated against bTB. In England, the government moved
rehabilitation of oiled guillemots. towards a cull by announcing two trial areas (Somerset and
Gloucester). The subsequent RSPCA campaign, in which we worked
Wildlife euthanasia due to Wildlife euthanasia due to insufficient
veterinary or legal necessity homes or sites for release with 14 other organisations under the name Team Badger, was one
of the most popular with the general public, prompting more than
2012: 37,775* 2012: 11 2011: 34 34,000 people to take action. With over 160,000 people signing the
No 10 petition against the cull and a debate in Parliament voting
*
Includes wild birds and small wild mammals injured in road traffic
accidents and orphaned animals too young to rear or too severely 147 to 28 not to go ahead, the Minister announced the cull was
injured to return to the wild. being postponed. However the plan has been resurrected for 2013.
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 13
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
The RSPCA is now working on a badger vaccination initiative to 4.3 Farm animals
show there is a humane alternative to combatting this disease. PLEDGE:
The Hunting Act 2004 was also the focus of one of the RSPCA’s To increase the proportion of animals reared under higher
most high profile activities in 2012. The RSPCA is committed to welfare systems in the UK.
demonstrating that the Act is effective and can be used as the
basis of successful prosecutions. In December the RSPCA won its Figure 9 The Proportion of farm animals reared under higher
first successful prosecution of a traditional hunt for fox hunting, welfare standards in eight different sectors.
%
prosecuting both the hunt and two huntsmen following evidence 60
provided by hunt monitors. The RSPCA will continue to take
prosecutions under the Hunting Act to show that it is enforceable 50
as well as ensure the retention of the Hunting Act is put into
40
party manifestos.
4.2 Animals in laboratories 30
PLEDGE: To reduce the number of animals in the UK who
20
undergo severe suffering when used in experiments
Work to help animals used in research and testing, accounting for 10
just 0.3 per cent of the total RSPCA resources expended in 2012,
concentrated in two main areas – the implementation of the EU 0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Directive on research animals into UK law and implementing the
Chickens laying hens Ducks Beef cattle
RSPCA pledge. Whilst the RSPCA welcomed the agreement on
Sheep Pigs Turkeys Dairy cattle
the Directive in 2010 we remained concerned that the UK’s higher
standards would be lost when the law was implemented. By the
The work on farm animals, accounting for five per cent of
end of the year when the law was adopted these concerns had
financial resources, is divided into three general work areas:
dissipated and most of the RSPCA’s objectives had been achieved.
The UK agreed to retain its housing standards, its system of ethical To increase the proportion of farm animals reared under higher
review bodies, and not to weaken killing methods or allow higher welfare systems in the UK
levels of suffering. With the implementation of the new standards The definition of ‘higher welfare systems’ in this context is those
in the 27 member states, it has become vital to ensure that other applying the RSPCA welfare standards. The proportion of animals
countries also raise their standards. Training was undertaken for benefitting from the standards is measured by assessing the
laboratories and governments in China, South Korea, and Serbia. number produced under the Freedom Food assurance scheme
compared with the national totals. As Figure 9 shows, in 2012
Work on reducing severe suffering for laboratory animals was
the proportion of farm animals reared under this scheme fell for
prioritised on establishing contacts in laboratories and drawing
ducks, turkeys and chickens but rose for pigs and laying hens. The
a list of procedures and models that can cause severe suffering
number of salmon meeting Freedom Food standards increased
which will enable the development of ideas to reduce these tests.
to 204 million fish.
The new animal research law will bring in the first meaningful data
on severe suffering by 2014. The RSPCA’s marketing work in 2012 concentrated on improving
the market for high-welfare duck meat and the welfare of farmed
In October the incoming EU Commissioner responsible for ducks, supported by a grant from the Tubney Charitable Trust.
animal research, Tonio Borg, agreed that he would not seek a Following the development of new welfare standards on the
postponement of the marketing ban in the Cosmetics Regulation back of the three-year research project, the campaign focused
(1223/2009/EC) when he came into office. This will mean that, 20 on encouraging retailers to sell Freedom Food labelled duck.
years after the ban was first written into EU law, non-animal tested The activities led to over 18,000 campaigner actions to retailers
cosmetics should finally be the only ones available in the EU. It is and achieved its goal of moving one retailer –Tesco – to selling
now essential to ensure that companies keep the same standards Freedom Food labelled duck. Tesco has some 26 per cent of the
when they are marketing products in other countries and the market share of duck meat. However, there are currently some
campaign in 2013 will concentrate on this area. major challenges associated with ensuring continuity of supply of
duck from Freedom Food approved farms though efforts are being
made to address these. Work will continue in 2013 to ensure that
Freedom Food labelled duck can be available on retailers’ shelves
in the UK.
The ban on barren battery cages for laying hens was finally
implemented in 2012 and after initial concerns that 17 countries
annedde/istock.com
were not applying the ban, by the end of the year only one
country remained non compliant. The RSPCA was fearful that a
similar compliance issue would occur with the implementation of
14 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
the partial ban on sow stalls under the EU pigs directive, but by Over 17,000 emails have been generated to the Minister asking him
2013 nine countries were sent formal letters by the Commission to improve the conditions for animals being transported abroad.
for non compliance. The RSPCA is working with the pig industry to During 2012 the numbers of calves being transported to the
try to ensure that no UK retailers are selling pig meat that is either continent fell as new markets opened up in the UK, mainly to rear
illegal or below UK industry standards. calves for beef. However, the campaign to end the export of live
To ensure physical and behavioural needs are met sheep through the port of Ramsgate will continue into 2013.
In 2012 the AssureWel project achieved its objective to develop The World Organisation for Animal Health agreed its first species
and introduce assessment of 10 key welfare measures for dairy specific global standard on a farm animal when it adopted the
cattle during all Freedom Food assessments and RSPCA monitoring standard on beef cattle. The RSPCA’s scientific and technical input
visits on Freedom Food approved farms. There was also good improved the draft which now opens the way for other standards
progress on promoting welfare outcome assessment through being developed. It is expected that chickens (2013), dairy cattle
other assurance schemes such as Red Tractor, who are currently (2014) and pigs (2015) will be the next species to be agreed.
considering introduction of this approach on dairy farms in their
4.4 Companion animals
scheme. Pig welfare measures will be developed in 2013. The laying
PLEDGE:
hens welfare indicators developed in 2012 are now being assessed
l To end the overpopulation of companion animals and
on each visit to Freedom Food approved farms and feedback to
tackle the related issues
farmers on their performance is being undertaken. As the European
l To end the euthanasia of any rehomeable animal
Commission is now looking at welfare indicators as part of its work
on the new framework animal welfare law, and the development The RSPCA’s work on companion animals accounts for a significant
of a network of research centres progresses, these measures can part of the budget, mainly on the operational areas with the
be fed into this process. Work to develop further RSPCA welfare inspectorate work and the running of the four hospitals and
standards continued and new versions of standards were produced financially assisting the 57 national and branch animal rescue
for pigs, turkeys and Atlantic salmon. centres and clinics. The goals for the RSPCA on companion animals
To improve welfare through the animals’ environment, have the following sub goals:
husbandry, genetics, transport and slaughter To tackle the issues surrounding the overpopulation
Live transport of animals has been one of the major campaigns of companion animals (in the UK)
during the year, focusing on creating market opportunities for The RSPCA has several work programmes to address over-
calves in the UK and shutting down the trade to the continent. population. On cats, the joint neutering programme in Stoke with
In Europe, although 369 MEPs signed a written Declaration calling Cats Protection (CP) has completed its neutering of owned animals
for better controls and an eight hour journey limit, the European programme, issuing 1,995 vouchers which were subsequently
commission confirmed that they would not be introducing any used. A ‘trap neuter release’ (TNR) programme of colony cats
new legislation during the next five year strategy. in the Stoke area, despite a number of challenges, neutered all
In the UK, with permission from Thanet District Council, RSPCA the females at five of the 23 colonies. A review of the effect of
inspectors started to inspect livestock vehicles going through their the neutering programme on owned and unowned cats in Stoke
port of Ramsgate in March 2012. During the year we inspected over will be completed in 2013. Research work was completed on
100 vehicles and issued four warning notices. More notices were owners’ attitudes to getting their cats neutered – in particular to
issued by officers from the UK Government’s Animal Health and understand why a proportion of owners opt to leave their cat to
Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) who are the competent have a first litter. In 2013, work based on this research will focus on
authority. A number of consignments were not allowed to proceed Birmingham, London and Manchester – working jointly with CP to
due to problems with the vehicles or animals. One lorry carrying reduce the numbers of cats in these areas.
sheep had to be unloaded at port by instruction of the AHVLA Work to convince owners that rabbits require specialised care
due to the poor condition of the animals and this resulted in a has progressed. New housing guidelines have now been written
number having to be euthanased. Thanet Council then closed following the completion of the research undertaken at Bristol
the port to further shipments for a few weeks until re-opening University. About 50 per cent of branches took part in Rabbit
it following legal action by the transporters. During this time one Awareness Week – a collaborative programme with several other
shipment went from Ipswich. Following representations from the organisations – and this is planned to grow in 2013.
RSPCA, the owners of this private port subsequently rejected the The problems with a growing horse population and its effects
trade. The RSPCA inspected a number of other ports to assess if on welfare and fly-grazing was an emerging issue that brought
they were compliant with the European rules, particularly whether together all the major equine organisations. The RSPCA took
there were any unloading facilities in case of an emergency. in twice as many horses in the first half of 2012 as it did in
The RSPCA believed the UK government was not applying the corresponding period in 2011. Two summits were held,
the law properly and therefore sought a judicial review of the one in England which resulted in the launch of a new report
government’s actions. This was initially turned down but an appeal presented to the Westminster Parliament showing the increase
has been lodged which will be heard in 2013. Long distance live in equines coming into the RSPCA and other equine charities,
transport continues to be one of our best supported campaigns. and one in Wales where over 70 attendees discussed the horse
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 15
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
overpopulation problem. Following these events, the Welsh Ensure that all animals in RSPCA care experience high
Government Minister agreed to put in place short-term measures standards of welfare
to tackle fly-grazing, improve cross agency working and review In 2012 the RSPCA licensed 66 centres with none of them on a
the existing legislation to assess long-term solutions. The RSPCA temporary licence, which is issued if the centre needs to rectify
launched a new rehoming promotion – Stable Futures – which their procedures. The animal centre licensing conditions have
successfully increased the numbers of horses being rehomed undergone extensive review in 2012 to ensure all animals in our
to 305 in 2012 but as the numbers coming in to our care rose homes are given environments to meet their needs and a number
to 760, the numbers in RSPCA care at the end of 2012 was 628 of operational guides written to underpin the licensing conditions.
compared to 630 at the beginning. From a financial perspective it is The national RSPCA centres rehomed 2,369 dogs, 5,378 cats, over
a concern that 490 of these animals were unavailable for rehoming 300 horses and over 3,500 miscellaneous animals.
as they were subject to inspectorate or police investigations or End the euthanasia of any rehomeable animal (in RSPCA care)
court proceedings and many of these were being held in private Responsible pet ownership is the key to reducing the euthanasia
boarding at considerable cost. of healthy rehomeable animals. In 2012 the RSPCA had to
There has always been a perception that Wales is the centre of euthanase 182 rehomeable dogs, a decrease from 2011. The numbers
puppy farming, so when legislation was proposed to improve of dogs rehomed by the RSPCA national centres decreased to
standards in dog breeding by the Welsh Government, the RSPCA 2,369. The RSPCA in total rehomed 11,356 dogs in 2012.
used it as one of the first campaign mailings to supporters in Over 41,000 cats were taken in by the RSPCA and 30,202 of these
Wales. This generated an excellent response with over 1,500 people rehomed or released, a decline of two per cent on the previous
taking part and the Minister has indicated that legislation will be year. The numbers rehomed by the national society decreased
proposed in 2013. very slightly to 5,378 (577 in Wales). The number of rehomeable
To ensure responsible pet ownership cats that were euthanased by the RSPCA increased to 812.
In 2012 the RSPCA concentrated on achieving new legislation in In 2012, 234 rehomeable rabbits were euthanased by the RSPCA
Wales and England on registration to link a dog with its owner and – an increase from 2011. The rabbit rehoming campaign aims to
so reduce the stray dogs problem. In England, the government address this issue.
launched a new consultation on microchipping but had not
Table 3 Humane euthanasia
released their plans by the end of the year with announcements
expected in early 2013. The RSPCA worked closely with other Euthanasia to prevent suffering Euthanasia due to insufficient
animal welfare organisations to press for mandatory microchipping because of illness, injury or homes or sites for release
legal necessity
and showed the Secretary of State around one of our hospitals 2012 2012 2011
to see the problems caused by dangerous dogs and their owners. Dogs 6,817 182 197
In Wales a consultation on the issue was held in the summer and Cats 12,607 812 730
the Welsh Minister responded to say that legislation to make Rabbits 1,706 234 146
microchipping mandatory for all dogs will be introduced under the Equines 249 10 10
Animal Welfare Act in 2013. Other 3,573 319 454
companion
We also launched our first ever Welsh dog welfare indicators animals
report. This showed the enormous support in Wales for a dog
registration scheme (over 80 per cent) and the need for new
To provide a timely and effective community-based animal welfare
legislation to deal with dangerous dogs. The Minister proposed
emergency service and enforce relevant animal welfare legislation
primary legislation on this issue and launched a consultation on a
This is reported under Goals 2 and 3 (pages 11-13)
draft Control of Dogs Bill at the end of the year. The RSPCA has
broadly welcomed this as it has a strong emphasis on education To ensure high welfare in human interaction with animals
and training, extends the places where a dog can be dangerously In Wales, the first prosecution for use of a shock collar occurred
out of control to private property and importantly introduces under the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (Wales) regulations
preventative measures in the form of Dog Control Notices that the introduced in 2010. The RSPCA has also been concerned about the
RSPCA has been promoting for a number of years. It is hoped that practice of branding horses and, following a report, agreed that no
the legislation will be in force in 2014. horses or ponies should be hot branded. The RSPCA recommends
the use of other methods of identification such as microchipping.
The RSPCA has long been concerned that cutbacks in local
authorities will make it difficult for them to deal with stray dogs To ensure that working animals and animal athletes experience
but the number of entries to our Community Animal Welfare high standards of welfare throughout their lives
Footprint awards, recognising the best practice work of local The RSPCA worked closely with the British Horse Authority (BHA)
authorities, increased again to 150 entries – the highest during its and Aintree race course following the 2012 Grand National when
five year history. two horses died. RSPCA equine inspectors attended this race for
the first time in a decade and we produced a 10-point report calling
for big improvements, including radical changes to the infamous and
16 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
dangerous fence, Becher’s Brook. Seven RSPCA recommendations The RSPCA uses volunteers to deliver a substantial amount of its
were implemented before the 2013 race. These included shortening work. It is estimated that the RSPCA has some 9,000 volunteers of
the distance between the start and the first fence, moving the start which 1,000 volunteer at national centres and the remainder with
away from the grandstand, altering some of the drop fences – such as branches. All are given some training with specialised training being
Becher’s Brook – to improve the landing zone for the horses, changing delivered to those volunteers doing specific jobs such as home
the cores of the fences to make them more forgiving of jumping visits to ensure RSPCA policy is followed. During 2013 further work
errors, increasing watering capabilities to control the going to slow will be undertaken to log volunteers on to the national Society
the pace of the race and bringing in better ways of capturing loose database which will enable more precise details to be built up
horses. The RSPCA continues its advice work at other race courses. on their value to animal welfare. Anyone wishing to volunteer
for the RSPCA can visit www.rspca.org.uk/volunteer for further
information. In preparing the financial statements, the Council is
Structure, governance and management required to:
Charity constitution l prepare accounts which represent a true and fair view
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
l select suitable accounting policies and then apply
was founded as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
them consistently
Animals in 1824 and was granted permission to add ‘Royal’ to its
name by Queen Victoria in 1840. The Society was incorporated by l make judgements and estimates that are reasonable
an Act of Parliament (the RSPCA Act) in 1932; subsequent RSPCA and prudent
Acts conferred further powers on the Society in 1940 and 1958. It is l state whether applicable accounting standards have
a charity registered in England and Wales (no. 219099). been followed
The charitable objects of the RSPCA, set out in the RSPCA Act l prepare the statements on the going-concern basis unless
1932, are to promote kindness and to prevent or suppress cruelty to it is inappropriate to assume that the Group will continue
animals and to do all such lawful acts as the Society may consider to operate
to be conducive or incidental to the attainment of those objects. l prepare an assessment of the risks and opportunities.
The 1932 Act also provides that the RSPCA shall be managed by The Council is responsible for ensuring that proper accounting
a Council, who control the affairs of the Society, subject to the records are kept which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any
provisions of the Act and the Society’s rules. Further details of time the financial position of the Group and enable Council to
these can be found at www.rspca.org.uk. ensure that financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011,
Council’s statement of responsibilities requirements of Rule XV of the Society’s rules and the Charities
The Council is legally required to prepare financial statements for (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008.
each year and an Annual Report on the activities of the RSPCA
The Council is also responsible for taking reasonable steps for the
during the year. The financial statements are prepared in accordance
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities by the
with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: a Statement of
establishment of a system of internal control.
Recommended Practices (SORP 2005) issued in February 2005,
together with all subsequent amendments. The RSPCA Council
The RSPCA Council has a maximum of 25 members who, as charity
The consolidated statement of financial activities includes details
trustees, have the legal responsibility for the effective use of the
relating to incoming resources and expenditure incurred by the
Society’s resources in accordance with the objects of the RSPCA
RSPCA Group. The Group consists of the national RSPCA and its
and responsibility for the finance, governance and overall strategic
restricted funds and its wholly-owned subsidiaries RSPCA Trading
aims of the RSPCA. Council members are not remunerated for their
Limited and Freedom Food Limited.
role as trustees but they are reimbursed for reasonable expenses
It does not include RSPCA branches, which are separately incurred in carrying out their duties.
registered charities that manage their own affairs, subject to rules
Of the 25 members of the governing Council, 15 are elected by the
made by the Society. There are 164 separately registered RSPCA
membership of the RSPCA. Each Council member is elected for
branches managed by their own locally elected charity trustees.
three years in the first instance and there is no limit on the number
Each branch publishes its own annual trustees’ report and
of terms a trustee can be re-elected. One third of the Council
accounts. The RSPCA Acts, the Society’s rules and branch rules
members so elected retire by rotation at the Annual General
regulate the relationship between the Society and the branches.
Meeting. Council members are eligible for re-election until they
Each branch is established as an unincorporated charitable
reach the age of 75.
association, but the Council has powers to intervene in a branch’s
affairs in certain circumstances. Much of the Society’s direct A further 10 Council members are elected triennially by vote of
animal welfare is carried out through its branches such as RSPCA branches in each of the 10 regional divisions of branches.
subsidised veterinary care and re-homing in their local areas. Regionally-elected members have the same duties as nationally
In total there are 36 branch clinics, three mobile clinics and 41 elected members but have, in addition, duties related to
branch animal centres. The RSPCA works closely with the RSPCA regional governance.
branches in delivering animal welfare aims and strategy and All candidates for election to the Council must have been
provides financial and other support to the branches. members of the RSPCA for not fewer than five consecutive years
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 17
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
immediately preceding nomination. A list of Council members who Society’s top 20 risks according to their likelihood and impact. For
served in 2012 together with other statutory information is given each risk, the mitigating controls and further actions required to
on page 42 and forms part of this report. manage or reduce the risk are documented. Corporate risks are
Training is provided to every council member. Each prospective categorised under one of the following headings:
member is provided with information about the RSPCA’s l Governance.
constitution, policies and activities. They are encouraged to visit l Financial sustainability.
the Society’s support centres to meet senior staff and have a brief
introduction to the RSPCA’s work and strategy. All new Council l Reputation and brand.
members are given the opportunity to participate in an induction l Animal welfare.
course and all serving trustees are offered in-service training such
l Health, safety and the welfare of staff and volunteers.
as on finance where required.
l Organisational change.
The RSPCA is a large and complex organisation and requires a
structured approach to decision making. The Council meets six l Service continuity.
times a year and is responsible for providing effective leadership The full corporate risk register is presented to the Finance and
and direction. It has delegated more detailed discussion on the General Purposes Panel annually, with updates on the highest (red)
work of the RSPCA to an operational panel, a branches panel, a risks and any changes in risk score included in the Finance Report
strategic animal welfare panel, and a finance and general purpose presented to each Panel meeting and then onwards to Council.
panel. These panels and their supporting committees determine,
monitor and evaluate the RSPCA’s strategic direction and FINANCE
performance. Two key measurements in our 2012 Accounts would indicate a
Public benefit successful year for the RSPCA. The Consolidated Statement of
All charities in England and Wales have charitable aims that Financial Activities (SOFA) on page 23 reports a surplus for the
are based on providing public benefit and comply with the year of £13.88m, leading to the Consolidated Balance Sheet on
Charities Act 2011. The RSPCA trustees pay due regard to Charity page 24 reporting a corresponding increase in the net assets of
commission guidance on public benefit. Preventing cruelty and the RSPCA, equivalent to nine per cent. However, on further
promoting kindness to animals promotes humane sentiment in analysis the Accounts reflect a more serious and indeed negative
humans towards animals which gives a moral benefit to the human underlying financial position.
community as a whole.
Our income from the year totalled £132.8m, an increase of £16.6m
A few examples will show this public benefit and the links between (14 per cent) compared to 2011. Our 2012 income has been buoyed
improving animal and human welfare. The RSPCA works to by two factors. Firstly, in 2012, we opened a new animal hospital
rehabilitate juvenile offenders through training Youth Offending and animal centre on a leased site in Birmingham and disposed of
teams and in certain cases working with individual young offenders the freehold site where the old hospital and centre were housed.
on their cases. We also work with NSPCC and social teams on The income from this sale was £6m and this explains the large
cross reporting. increase in Proceeds from the Sale of Fixed Assets disclosed in the
In 2012 the RSPCA worked proactively with targeted councils Consolidated Cash Flow Statement on page 25 (£2.3m reported in
at reducing the social and animal welfare problems arising from 2011 and £7.7m reported in 2012).
dangerous dogs. In one partnership, with Basildon Council, the Secondly, in 2012 we were notified of ten high value legacies,
proactive community engagement work and neutering resulted in totalling £14.4m (see Note 17). This is both an exceptional number
a decrease in the numbers of bull breeds being seized following and value compared to previous years’ notifications. High value
the two community events and a drop in the number of complaints legacies often comprise complex estates that can take a number
to the RSPCA on neglect and abandonment of dogs in the hotspot of years to settle so the cash from these legacies may not be
areas where we have concentrated resources. received for some time. This is reflected in the £12.2m increase in
The RSPCA continued to work on the Pet Retreat programme our Accrued Income (see Note 6).
which helps victims of domestic violence by providing a safe We continue to face increasing demands for our services while
home for the family pet. In 2012 the RSPCA also started work with attempting to reduce our costs. Our expenditure for 2012 has
different faith and ethnic communities, holding two seminars in remained relatively stable, at £121.5m, an increase of one per cent
London and initiating an education programme of work with the compared to 2011. Had we not received the two boosts to income
Muslim community in northern England and meetings with faith detailed above, we would be reporting a deficit of £4.0m, the same
groups in Birmingham. out-turn as we reported in 2011.
Risk management One of our key concerns is our cash position. As the Consolidated
The trustees have responsibility for the oversight of risk Cash Flow Statement on page 25 shows, the net cash outflow from
management. Board members and heads of department consider operations was £3.9m. The last time we reported a net cash inflow
the risks for their areas. These are collated and analysed to inform from operations was 2007. During 2012, we sold £9.0m of investments
the corporate risk register. The corporate risk register scores the to support the day-to-day cash expenditure on our operations.
18 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Achieving financial sustainability is a key priority for the RSPCA. Reserves
We have set a balanced budget for 2013 and will continue to focus The RSPCA holds three types of reserve – restricted reserves,
on managing our cash flow. designated funds and free reserves.
Fundraising Restricted reserves is the balance on endowment funds and
Fundraising costs reduced by £0.2m in 2012 due to slightly lower restricted funds; these are held pending their application to
levels of activity while undergoing an organisational restructure. the activity specified by the donor. As at 31 December 2012, the
Income from fundraising, excluding legacies, fell by £1.4m in 2012 balance of restricted reserves was £16.2m.
to £48.2m. For every £1.00 invested in income generation, £2.55 of Designated funds are set aside for fixed assets and investment
non-legacy income was received (£2.63 in 2011), see Note 2i. in corporate projects. The funds represent the RSPCA’s tangible
Financial position of trading subsidiaries fixed assets plus committed and approved capital and project
The RSPCA has two wholly owned subsidiaries that operated during expenditure (see Note 14). As at 31 December 2012, the balance of
the year. The results of these entities are presented in Note 15. designated funds was £101.1m.
RSPCA Trading Limited undertakes non-primary purpose trading Free reserves are calculated as accumulated funds less restricted
and the profit from its activity is transferred to the RSPCA at year reserves and designated funds. This definition takes full account
end. In 2012, RSPCA Trading had income of £1.4m, consistent with of the pension liability. The RSPCA’s reserves policy, approved by
the level of income received in 2011. Outgoing resources were the Finance and General Purposes Panel, is to maintain a level of
£0.5m and £0.9m of profit was transferred to the RSPCA (2011, £1.0m). free reserves that will enable the RSPCA to ensure a continuity
of activity and have the ability to adjust in a measured way to
Freedom Food Limited promotes RSPCA-approved welfare
significant changes in the external economic environment and
standards in livestock farming. The cost of this activity is
demands on services provided by the charity. A level of free
supported in part by a grant from the RSPCA. In 2012, Freedom
reserves equivalent to a period between three and six months of
Food activities generated income of £1.9m and incurred costs of
operational expenditure is deemed appropriate. At 31 December
£2.5m. The grant from the RSPCA was £0.6m (2011, £0.8m).
2012, our free reserves stood at £45.0m (2011, £26.8m). This is
Investments equivalent to five months of budgeted expenditure for 2013. While
The RSPCA holds investments to support fluctuations in its cash this represents a significant improvement on the position as at
flow and to fund structural growth. 31 December 2011, it has been driven by the two exceptional
The value of the RSPCA’s investments at 31 December 2012 was income items detailed earlier in the Financial Review.
£82.2m. This represents an increase of £4.2m compared to the
year end position in 2011. While we drew down £9.0m from
investments in 2012 to fund our day-to-day expenditure, we
have benefited from both realised and unrealised gains to
achieve the increase of £4.2m. The realised gains of £6.0m
reported in the SOFA for 2012 almost entirely offset the losses
of £6.4m reported in 2011.
The Finance and General Purposes Panel has responsibility for
the RSPCA’s investment strategy and the funds are managed by
Schroders. The Panel takes advice from investment professionals
to help maximise the return and ensure that the investment
strategy remains fit for purpose.
The RSPCA has an agreed ethical investment policy. This states
that the RSPCA will take all reasonable steps to ensure that its
corporate investments are consistent with its animal welfare policies.
Pension Fund
The assets of the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme are held
separately from the RSPCA. Based on Financial Reporting Standard
(FRS17), the overall deficit of the scheme increased by £2.9m in
Andrew Forsyth/RSPCA photolibrary
2012 to £50.0m.
The Pension Fund was subject to a triennial valuation as at
31 March 2012. This reported the Fund deficit as £52.4m. The
Trustees of the Pension Fund are finalising a recovery plan to
address the deficit. A previous plan, approved following the
2009 valuation, resulted in the RSPCA making enhanced annual
payments of £2.4m into the Fund to address the deficit of
£23.0m reported at that time.
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 19
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxx
20 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2011
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Summary financial report
Animal welfare (£75.3m)
hospitals and animal centres (£37.8m)
inspectorate (£32.7m)
OUR EXPENDITURE
prosecution animal welfare costs (£4.8m)
Cost of income generation (£21.3m)
Support to branches (£8.2m)
Prosecutions – staff and legal costs (£6.5m)
Science (£2.4m)
Campaigns (£2.4m)
Education (£1.9m)
2012 Governance costs (£1.1m)
Communication (£1.0m)
Publications (£0.8m)
International (£0.5m)
Legacy income (£67.7m)
Donations and contributions (£44.2m)
OUR INCOME
Other income (£9.1m)
Charitable activities* (£8.6m)
Investment income (£2.6m)
Membership subscriptions (£0.6m)
2012
All costs include applicable support costs. Signed on behalf of the RSPCA Council:
Andrew Forsyth/RSPCA photolibrary
*
Income from charitable activities including: rehoming, boarding
and veterinary income; prosecution and other costs recovered;
sponsorship and advertising income; other fees and charges
received; goods sold and Animal Action Club subscriptions.
Michael Tomlinson Barbara Gardner
CHAIRMAN, RSPCA COUNCIL TREASURER, rspca
1 May 2013 1 May 2013
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2012 21
Independent auditors’ report to the Trustees of the Royal society for the prevention of cruelty to animals
Independent auditors’ report to the trustees of the RSPCA
We have audited the financial statements of The Royal Society Opinion on financial statements
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for the year ended In our opinion the Group financial statements:
31 December 2012 which comprise the Group Statement of l give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s and the
Financial Activities, the Group Balance Sheet, the Group Cash parent charity’s affairs as at 31 December 2012, and of the
Flow Statement and the related notes. The financial reporting Group’s incoming resources and application of resources for
framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable the year then ended;
law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom
Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). l have been properly prepared in accordance with United
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in
accordance with the Charities Act 2011. Our audit work has been l have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of
undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those the Charities Act 2011 and The RSPCA Rules.
matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report
Matters on which we are required to report
and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law,
by exception
we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters
the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work,
where the Charities Act 2011 requires us to report to you if, in our
for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
opinion:
Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditors l the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report is
As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ inconsistent in any material respect with the financial
Responsibilities, the trustees are responsible for the preparation statements; or
of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a l sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
true and fair view.
l the parent charity financial statements are not in agreement
We have been appointed as auditors under section 144 of the with the accounting records and returns; or
Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with regulations made
l we have not received all the information and explanations
under section 154 of that Act. Our responsibility is to audit and
we require for our audit.
express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with
applicable law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and
Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing
Practices Board’s (APB’s) Ethical Standards for Auditors.
BDO LLP, Statutory Auditor
Scope of the audit of the financial statements Gatwick, United Kingdom
A description of the scope of an audit of financial statements is Date: 1 May 2013
provided on the APB’s website at www.frc.org.uk/apb/scope/
BDO LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the
private.cfm. Companies Act 2006.
BDO LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales
(with registered number OC305127).
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