London, 8th May 2024
Today (Wednesday 8th May) Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) is delighted the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill has passed its Report Stage in the House of Lords.
This follows the Bill passing its Committee Stage in the House of Lords on 14th March and having passed all its stages in the House of Commons after receiving widespread MP support across parties.
Throughout its passage in the House of Lords, several Peers expressed their support for the Bill including Baroness Hodgson, Baroness Hayman, and CAWF Patron Baroness Fookes’
During the Second Reading in the House of Lords, CAWF Patron Baroness Fookes said: “Over the years, millions of animals have suffered in this way. Very often, the vehicles used to transport were quite unsuitable. Sound animals and injured animals were allowed to go together, and some sound animals became injured anyway through the conditions in which they were travelling. Sometimes food and water were missing.”
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. You can read more about the Bill here.
The commitment to end live exports for fattening and slaughter honours a popular Conservative Party Manifesto commitment and delivers an important component of Defra’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
Since the founding of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation in 2016, ending live exports for fattening and slaughter has been a core campaign. Historically Great Britain has exported large numbers of sheep and calves abroad to France and as far afield as Spain. Overcrowding means that some cannot lie down at all, while those who do may be injured or trampled to death. They can be in transit for days, suffering extremes of temperature and often without sufficient food, water, or rest.
Animals may end up in countries with far poorer welfare standards than our own, enduring practices that are illegal in the UK such as veal crates. Calves placed into the Dutch white veal pen systems, where they are unable to perform natural behaviour, are barely able to turn around.
Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation would like to thank Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP, Secretary of State for Defra Steve Barclay MP, and the Defra team for their continued support for this critical measure which will spare many animals the suffering they endure on long journeys overseas.
The Bill will now enter its Third Reading in the House of Lords to complete its passage through Parliament and become law.
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “We are delighted the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill passed its Report Stage in the House of Lords. This means we are now incredibly close to making history and finally ending live exports for fattening and slaughter from Great Britain.
“This Bill –which delivers a key Manifesto commitment, as well as an important component of Defra’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare– has enjoyed the strong support of MPs and Peers across the political spectrum.
“We are grateful to Minister Lord Douglas-Miller for leading the Bill in the Lords, and Secretary of State Steve Barclay for leading the Bill in the Commons, as well as to the wider Defra team for their hard work on this important subject. We look forward to supporting the Bill as it progresses to Third Reading in the House of Lords and becomes law in due course.”
About Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF)
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation was established in 2016 to raise awareness of the lives of billions of animals reared on intensive farms around the world and how this impacts animal welfare, the environment, and people’s health. We want to highlight the actions people can take to help advance farm animal welfare.
Animal welfare is an increasing concern amongst the public, who frequently look to the 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 Government’s plan for food and farming along with its focus on productivity, competitiveness, and technology.
Media contact: Jenny Lewis (jenny.lewis@conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org)
