London, 3rd February 2023
Today (Friday 3rd February) the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) has welcomed the Second Reading of Conservative MP Angela Richardson’s Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill.
Many animal tourist attractions abroad involve poor animal welfare practices. Captured elephants abroad are often young and forced to endure long, painful beatings, while being deprived of water, food, and sleep. This process, designed to ‘domesticate’ the elephant, ensures submission for tourist activities.
The Government has committed to taking action to end the UK’s role in advertising and selling such tourist activities. Defra’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare published in 2021 said: “Animals such as Asian elephants may be subjected to cruel and brutal training practices to ensure their obedience. We will legislate to ban the advertising and offering for sale here of specific, unacceptable practices abroad.”
Following the First Reading of the Bill last year, Angela Richardson commented: “It is my absolute pleasure to sponsor this Bill, which if given Royal Assent will prohibit the sale and advertising of activities abroad that involve low standards of welfare for animals. This was part of the 2019 manifesto, where the Conservatives promised to improve animal welfare both in the UK and overseas and the pledge was reflected again last year in Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare.”
Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation fully supports the Bill to ban the sale and advertising of unacceptable and cruel tourist practices abroad. CAWF Co-Founder Lorraine Platt has been a Director of Save The Asian Elephants (STAE) since February 2018.
Last week CAWF Patron Henry Smith MP led an Adjournment debate on Government support for animal welfare in overseas tourism, which saw strong cross-party support from across the House of Commons. This coincided with a petition delivery led by Save The Asian Elephants (STAE)’s outside Downing Street with CAWF Patron Stanley Johnson and other MPs and Peers including Angela Richardson MP, Virendra Sharma MP, and Baroness Hayman.
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation and Director of Save The Asian Elephants, commented: “We welcome the Second Reading of the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill led by Angela Richardson MP. A UK ban on advertising of overseas “attractions” where Asian elephants and their babies are brutalised for tourism fun is supported deeply and comprehensively across Britain. It will steer demand, and then supply, to ethical venues where elephants and humans are safe from abuse and fatalities. After endless promises of such new law by successive governments since 2015, this change is long overdue. We urge for the Government to support the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill.
“We would like to thank Angela Richardson for leading this Bill, as well as other MPs including our Patron Henry Smith who have shown unwavering support for this important issue. We look forward to supporting the Bill through its next stages in Parliament, and seeing this important Manifesto pledge delivered.”
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)
