A PORTRAIT of King Charles has been targeted by activist group Animal Rising to feature Wallace and Gromit.
Wallace's face has been plastered over the King's on a portrait of his at London's Philip Mould Gallery, with the character saying: "No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!"
Charles is patron of the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and is said to have a passion for the claymation duo.
Animal Rising timed the stunt to coincide with their releasing a report criticising the RSPCA for conditions in farms they certify.
Spokesperson Orla Coghlan said: “Just as Feathers McGraw fooled Wallace into a bank heist, the RSPCA has been fooling the British public into thinking their factory farms are – in any way – an acceptable place for animals to live.
"It’s clear from the scenes across 45 RSPCA Assured farms that there’s no kind way to farm animals."
The group's report found animal suffering on a wide range of certified farms, including severe overcrowding, chickens swung by their legs and the separation of calves from mothers.
In Scotland, Animal Rising found that salmon in fish farms were infected with lice and missing body parts, and that many trout had died due to a lack of water during delousing procedures.
Elsewhere in the UK, it found one farm where a pig's decomposing body was left in an alleyway between pens.
At another, dying chicks were seen to be suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, with some pecking on dead chicks for sustenance.
Daniel Juniper, one of the activists involved, said: “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 group's report also found 280 legal breaches and 94 breaches of Defra regulations in the 45 farms, which were selected at random for surveys.
Animal Rising has also produced posters that it has pasted around various UK cities to publicise their reports.
One features Pooh leading Piglet to a building labelled "RSPCA FARM", and telling him: "Don't worry Piglet, you will be in safe hands."
An RSCPA spokesperson told The National: "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.
"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.
"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."
Philip Mould Gallery has been approached for comment.
