Demand the Government Implement a Live-Animal Export Ban!

Every year, hundreds of thousands of animals are crammed onto lorries and ships for journeys from the UK to the EU and beyond that can last days or weeks. They’re sent abroad for slaughter and “fattening”. When they leave the UK, the marginally better legal protections afforded to them here are left behind, and when they reach their destination, in many cases they suffer and meet an even worse death than they would experience here, in horrendous conditions that would be illegal in the UK.

Live animals, including babies and pregnant animals, are transported hundreds or even thousands of miles in dangerous conditions in all weather extremes, causing distress, injuries, and disease. They can be in transit for days, often without sufficient food, water, or rest. Many die as a result.

Animals commonly have to endure excessively long journeys and severe crowding and may be left waiting in lorries at ports for hours and hours. In addition to routine suffering, long-distance live transport can also result in fires, and ships may sink, causing the suffering and deaths of large numbers of animals. Most recently, in November 2019, over 14,000 sheep drowned when a ship capsized shortly after leaving port.

Transporting live animals thousands of miles in cramped, filthy conditions is also a major cause of the spread of zoonotic diseases around the globe – from foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza to SARS.

The live-export trade is dangerous and cruel, and it must be stopped.

What You Can Do

The government has long promised an end to live export, and in its 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, outlines and commits to a ban. It’s time to put words into action.

Tell environment secretary George Eustice to end this horrific cruelty now!

Personalising your e-mail is best, but here's a template you can use as is or amend as you wish.

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