"Each year the standard of entries gets higher as more and more restaurants and pubs realise that customers want ethically-sourced food," said Richard Johnson, one of the panel of four judges in the food category, "In fact, with the introduction of the pub category, we were delighted to see that so many local pubs are committed to ensuring the meat they sell is ethically sourced.

Our innovation award winners were well deserved: McDonald's for its long-term, continued investment, and support of research into animal welfare; and The Feather's Inn in Northumberland, which offers innovative educational campaigns to visiting local schools in an effort to teach children about animal welfare. They are also committed to using every part of the animal and were commended for their stand against food waste."

David Bowles, Head of External Affairs for the RSPCA said, “Our restaurant and pub winners have set a high standard of Good Business practice for the industry to follow that they should be commended for.

“We are delighted to present the winners with these RSPCA Good Business Awards, and hope that they continue to innovate and motivate the rest of the industry to adopt good animal welfare policies.”