Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill passes through Parliament

The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) is delighted the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill has passed its Third Reading in the House of Lords. This follows the Bill passing its Report Stage on 8th May in the House of Lords and Committee Stage on 14th March, having already passed all of its stages in the House of Commons.

London, 14th May 2024

Today (14th May) The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) is delighted the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill has passed its Third Reading in the House of Lords.

This follows the Bill passing its Report Stage on 8th May in the House of Lords and Committee Stage on 14th March, having already passed all of its stages in the House of Commons. The Bill has now completed all of its stages and will soon receive Royal Assent in order to become law and ban live exports for slaughter and fattening.

Throughout its passage in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the Bill has attracted support across parties. During the Third Reading in the House of Commons, Minister Mark Spencer said that ending live exports for fattening and slaughter “is close to the hearts of many in this House”. Several Conservative MPs spoke in support of the Bill, including Patron and former Secretary of State for Defra Theresa Villiers MP, Patron Henry Smith MP, former Secretary of State for Defra Dr Therese Coffey MP, and Sir Mike Penning MP. 

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 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 which 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 the 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.

Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “We are delighted the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill passed its Third Reading in the House of Lords. With the Bill now awaiting Royal Assent, today we have made history in passing legislation to finally put an end to the cruel live export trade for fattening and slaughter.

“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.”

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 public 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: Lorraine Platt

info@conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org