Queen guitarist Sir Brian May has announced his sudden resignation as vice president of the RSPCA , calling the move “a painful decision to make” but that he was left with “no other option”. May, 77, who was recently rushed to hospital after suffering a minor stroke and temporarily losing control of his left arm , is a vocal animal rights campaigner and has been vice president of the charity since 2012. However, in a statement released on 26 September, May highlighted the “conditions in some farms” as the reason he was stepping down from the position.
In a letter shared on Instagram addressed to the “Board Members and Trustees of the RSPCA”, May wrote: “It is with profound sadness and not without massive soul-searching that today I have to offer my resignation as a vice-president of the RSPCA. “You have kept me informed through the Save-Me Trust of complaints that have been levelled in recent months at the RSPCA over appallingly bad standards of animal welfare in member farms of the RSPCA Assured scheme. “I have understood that the RSPCA needed time to evaluate the evidence and make decisions on action to be taken.
But as more and more evidence comes to light, I find the RSPCA’s response completely inadequate. “In line with the organisation’s core principles, and in the clear knowledge that supervision of the Assured scheme had failed and was continuing to fail, I feel the only acceptable policy would have been complete dismantling of the scheme. I.
