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.

Update: 14 March 2022
Recent reports in the media alarmingly suggest that the government will de-prioritise animal welfare, claiming it is seen as “peripheral stuff” . This means that the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) and Animals Abroad bills are at risk of being dropped. If that happened, we’d lose proposed laws banning the dangerous and distressing export of live animals. While the world faces unprecedented challenges, promises to implement vital animal welfare legislation must be upheld and the government must fulfil its commitment to having and promoting the highest standards of animal welfare, as laid out in the 2021 Queen’s Speech.

If the reports are true and these bills are torn up, the government would be betraying the cows, pigs, and other animals it promised to protect as well as the public who elected it based on manifesto commitments such as banning hunting trophies and live export.

Giving the green light to organisations and individuals to continue to profit from cruelty to animals would make a mockery of the UK’s claim that we are a nation of animal lovers. The government must keep in mind a sentiment put forth by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, “The way we treat animals reflects our values and the kind of people we are.”

Please take action now by telling the government to support the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) and Animals Abroad bills in their entirety, banning the live export of animals.

Original post:

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.

View Message +

George

Eustice

Government

Dear Minister:

I was horrified to learn about the cruelty involved in the live export of animals from the UK to the EU and outraged to hear that the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill that would ban it is now at risk. Alarming reports imply that the bill will be dropped, which would mean that the UK’s dangerous and distressing live-export industry would continue and that the government would be backtracking on its manifesto and animal welfare strategy commitments. While the world faces unprecedented challenges, animal welfare legislation must be a priority and the government must uphold its commitment to having and promoting the highest standards of animal welfare. We are a nation of animal lovers, and protecting them from harm is an important value of the British people. We must continue to push forward legislation that reflects this.

There’s absolutely no question that frightened animals who are subjected to live export endure extraordinary suffering when they are crammed into barren containers, as they often are, without fresh air, food, adequate water, or veterinary care and forced to marinate in their own waste.

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

I urge you to take immediate action to implement the proposed ban and ensure the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill is carried over into the next session of Parliament. We must end the cruel and dangerous live export of animals from the UK without delay.

Kind regards,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~Email Address}

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Demand the Government Implement a Live-Animal Export Ban!

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