Charity coalition provides over a million meals to pets
The partnership has provided around 150 tonnes of pet food.
A coalition of charities has passed the milestone of providing one million meals for dogs and cats in Great Britain.
The Pet Food Partnership, made up of Battersea, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, RSPCA and FareShare, was launched in late 2022 to help owners struggling with the cost of feeding their pets.
Since then, it has given out around 150 tonnes of pet food donated by pet food manufacturers.
The food has been distributed through FareShare’s network of more than 8,500 community groups and charities across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The cost of pet food has soared in the past year, with the prices of many products rising above inflation. According to The Grocer’s KVI tracker in July, the cost of own label cat food pouches had increased by 38 per cent on average, and own label dry dog food had become 14.7 per cent more expensive on average.
A spokesperson for the Pet Food Partnership said: “We know how important pets are to the people that love them, and that many owners would rather go hungry themselves than let their pet go without a meal. We believe no one should ever have to make that choice. That’s why we started this programme – to offer struggling owners a helping hand and fill pet food bowls across the UK.
“While reaching the million meals milestone is a great example of how effective working together can be, it is also a sad indicator of how many owners continue to struggle as a result of rising costs. From the dog owners up in Aberdeen, to the people with cats down in Plymouth, we’re here to help keep pets well-fed this winter.”
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Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
