London, 13th November 2023
Today (Monday 13th November) Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) has welcomed the appointment of the Rt Hon. Steve Barclay MP as Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
CAWF is calling for the new Secretary of State to introduce the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill announced in the King’s Speech last week as soon as possible.
The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill will ban the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury caused by exporting live animals.
Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation would also like to see the new Defra leadership honour commitments to consult on ending cages for laying hens and sows on British farms, as well as the implementation of mandatory animal welfare labelling.
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation is delighted to welcome the Rt Hon. Steve Barclay MP as Secretary of State for Defra. We hope he will deliver on important Conservative Manifesto commitments, including the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill announced in the King’s Speech last week.
“The Conservatives have a proud record of delivering for animals over many decades, and we hope Steve Barclay will build on this in his new role. We wish him the very best for his time as Secretary of State and look forward to supporting him to advance animal welfare standards in the UK.”
About Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF)
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation was established in 2016 to raise awareness on the lives of billions of animals reared on intensive farms around the world and how this impact upon animal welfare, the environment and people’s health. We want to highlight the action people can take to help advance farm animal welfare.
Animal welfare is an increasing concern amongst the public, who frequently look to Government to take the lead in both maintaining and improving standards.
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation believes it is highly important that the welfare of farm animals is placed at the forefront of the Governments plan for food and farming along with its focus on productivity, competitiveness, and technology.
Media contact: Sophia Stileman (sophia.stileman@conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org)
