Still to be further updated with photos

Well folks, personally for me it has taken what ? – around 40+ years of campaigning to get to where we are now – read on below.

To be honest, the last four years or so have been a roller coaster of ‘yes it will be banned’ followed by ‘no it will not be banned’ statements.  A few years back I did the official government consultation on the issue of live animal exports; and expectations were high as with past campaigning on this issue, I knew that almost all of the British people were against the trade, and at the time, in PM Boris Johnson, we had a PM who would push the legislation for a ban through Parliament.

Thins have changed now as we no longer have Boris at the helm and we have seen Bills such as the ‘animal kept Bill’ which would have banned the export trade, scrapped by the current government at the last minute.

But anyway, what fantastic news today, with the implementation of the ‘Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill 2023-24’ which will make it an offence to export from or through Great Britain live livestock for slaughter outside the British Islands, we have reason to celebrate as we now join up with campaigner friends in New Zealand; the only other nation that has officially banned the export of live animals.

As explained below, it is only through Brexit and getting free from the shackles of the EU that the UK has been able to do this.  We as a nation have taken back control and are reverting to making law for our own citizens; without the dreg of EU legislation hanging over us.

I would suggest that you look at the following which gives a basic overview on the legislation and some of the basic reasons whilst it has gotten to the situation it has currently arrived at. 

The following is a good summary:

CBP-9912.pdf (parliament.uk) 

Full Parliamentary report:

Click to access CBP-9912.pdf

So where do we go now ? – Europe, to be basic.  I / we have campaigned in Europe for decades on the issue of live animal transport.  With the issue of caged animals and the need to set them free through the citizens initiative, the EU Commission is under huge pressure to act for the welfare of animals.  The UK export ban issue is another thing that can be thrown at them as a reason why they need to act and act now.  Thousands and thousands of live animals are trucked across every day; and they should not be; just as live EU animals should not be exported outside of the EU to meet the gruesome deaths that await them.

We have plenty to go on, and so the work continues.  To ‘win’ after 40+ years of campaigning does not really seem true – we had a glass of wine lunchtime to celebrate what in reality is a massive victory; but also to remember all those who fought so hard for the cause here in UK but who are no longer with us.  So this is for them, the Mike Tucker,

the Carla Lane, wonderful Barb

Below – Dover – Barb gives a hug to my dog ‘Golda’.

… and so many others who fought but have not seen this campaign get to where it is now – a ban on the export of slaughter and further fattening animals from the UK.

Related information and WAV posts on this:

UK: The Abhorrent Export Trade In Live Animals Is About To End, – World Animals Voice –  from Selina.

Search Results for “uk live exports” – World Animals Voice

John Callaghan – England: Another Terrible Loss – John Callaghan. – World Animals Voice

“John often used to hitch a ride in my car which I had taken to the Netherlands as part of the job. We shared many hours on the road; laughing, talking and generally trying to have a good time in work that we both knew the live animal export business caused immense suffering to – innocent, sentient beings”.

Carla Lane – England: Hope ! – World Animals Voice

Below – ‘Hope’

Read more at  About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 

The betrayal of exported British horses – Microsoft Word – EXH6.doc (wordpress.com)

Job Done !

Regards Mark

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill 2023-24 will make it an offence to export from or through Great Britain live livestock for slaughter outside the British Islands. It was introduced to the House of Commons on 4 December and the second reading was undertaken as scheduled for 18 December 2023.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill 2023-24 was introduced to the House of Commons on 4 December 2023 as a bill to make provision to prohibit the live export of certain livestock, such as cattle, sheep and pigs, from Great Britain for slaughter. Second reading is scheduled for 18 December 2023.

The government has said that the UK’s departure from the EU gives it the freedom to implement such a ban. The Conservative Manifesto for the 2017 and 2019 General Elections included commitments to control the live exports of livestock.

The provisions in this Bill progress those that were included in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to end the export of livestock for fattening and slaughter. To criticism from animal welfare organisations, the government said in May 2023 that it would not pursue the Kept Animals Bill but would implement various measures separately. Those organisations welcome the new bill but urge the government to deliver its proposals quickly.

Live animals have long been exported to EU countries from the UK for breeding, fattening, and slaughter. There have been long running campaigns, including the RSPCA’s Stop Live Exports campaign, to end such exports. This reflects concerns that animals transported to Europe suffer from unnecessarily long journeys, experiencing stress, exhaustion, thirst and rough handling.

Although, for practical reasons, the last exports for fattening or slaughter were in December 2020, the Bill will ban them permanently. It will make it an offence to send, transport, organise transport (or attempt to send, transport or organise transport) for livestock for export from or through Great Britain for fattening and slaughter outside the British Islands. The ban applies to a range of livestock including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs and wild boar, but not poultry. Live exports, including of racehorses, will still be permitted for breeding, competitions and races.

The provisions do not apply to Northern Ireland and journeys within the island of Ireland are not covered. However, they do apply to journeys transiting through Great Britain to a destination outside the British Islands, for example to those that begin in Northern Ireland or EU Member States such as the Republic of Ireland, transit through Great Britain and are destined for a country or territory outside the British Islands.

The Opposition welcomed previous provisions in the Kept Animals Bill, which it said had included many Labour Party policies on animal welfare.

The ban on exports may need to be defended against World Trade Organisation rules which require countries to apply non-discriminatory rules (so-called ‘most favoured nation’ rules) to trade. Case precedents indicate that exceptions under WTO rules may apply to ethical and animal welfare provisions, however this issue is not clear cut. Challenges can only be bought by other signatory countries. There has been no indication as to whether other countries may wish to challenge the government over the Bill’s measures.

Further reading:

Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill 2023-24

The following is a good summary:

CBP-9912.pdf (parliament.uk) 

Full Parliamentary report:

Click to access CBP-9912.pdf

11 December 2023

Press Release

The long overdue proposal on animal transport is far from enough to protect the billions of animals transported each year, and fails to acknowledge several EFSA opinions on critical issues, presenting a missed opportunity by the European Commission (EC) to improve animal welfare.

Most notably, the proposal still allows for animals to be transported live to non-EU countries, on very long journeys, in which they are unable to benefit from the legal protection they receive in the EU. It is also deeply concerning that the proposed regulation allows for animals to be transported at sea, with no time limit, as, shockingly, sea journeys are exempted from any restriction on this. 

The text does not provide sufficient protection for vulnerable animals such as pregnant ones and unweaned calves. These animals are still going to be transported when they are in very vulnerable states such as late pregnancies, or too young to be able to find food for themselves, or endure incredibly stressful situations like long journeys.

The text does not provide for adequate measures to protect animals in extreme temperatures and humidities, nor does it provide measures on actions required in the case of disruptions. 

Another concern is that many animals are excluded from the new measures, including animals transported for scientific purposes, companion animals and aquatic ones, all of which should have legislation specific to their needs.

The proposal does have some positive aspects, notably, a commitment for real-time traceability for road journey times, updated space allowance and maximum journeys to up to nine hours, however this time limit only applies to animals being transported to slaughter. Animals transported for breeding and fattening can be transported for 42 hours over three days, a limit which is excessive and inconsistent with EFSA’s opinions. Moreover, ships flying “black flags” (severely sub-standard), which at the moment constitute 55% of the EU-approved livestock transport fleet, would no longer be allowed to operate. 

For the first time, the EC made reference to the transition to meat and carcasses, in the objectives of the Regulation. This is particularly timely, following a recent report which shows that switching to this type of export, as opposed to live transport, would not only benefit the animals, but could save up to 2.5 times the costs, and reduce environmental externalities.

Despite its commitment to come forward with a full set of regulations to improve animal welfare by the end of this year, the EC has now failed to publish the three other legislative proposals, most notably the Kept Animals Regulation (KAR), through which the phase out of cages was promised. 

Only updating the live transport rules, and publishing the new proposal on cats and dogs, leaves billions of animals at the mercy of outdated legislation, while it ignores the ask of millions of European citizens for better animal welfare.

This proposal comes only one week after the publication of a report that highlights how official records on live transport are often masked, and the suffering endured by billions of animals each year is much worse than imagined.

It is concerning that after such a long wait the European Commission comes forward with only one of the promised proposals, and one that lacks ambition and fails to protect the welfare of animals during transport, despite the ever-growing evidence of the immense suffering that they endure. The proposal evidently embraces a “business as usual approach” favouring economic benefits over the welfare of the animals. It is now time for the Council and the Parliament to truly reflect the wishes of EU citizens in the legislation.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

Read the full proposal here.

Business case: the benefits of a carcass over a live animal tradeBusiness case: the benefits of a carcass over a live animal trade

9 November 2023

Report

Eurogroup for Animals commissioned Human Behaviour Change for Life (HBCL) to write this report: ‘Business case: the benefits of a carcass over a live animal trade’.

This document considers the business case for a change to the export of carcass meat instead of live animals from the European Union (EU) to third countries. It includes the current economic, environmental, and societal challenges and opportunities that these different approaches present.

The research provides a unique insight into the costs of the trade through the development and use of innovative modelling, frameworks, case studies and evidence-based approaches. It enables the consideration of how a move from live animal export towards a meat and carcass trade could be advantageous for the agricultural sector, the environment, and wider society.

BROWSE TO THIS PUBLICATION

A data dump of suffering: The EU’s long-distance trade in farm animals exposed

28 November 2023

Compassion in World Farming

Report

A cache of unpublished records obtained in summer 2023 reveals disturbing new evidence on the extent and nature of the EU’s trade in farm animals.

The data comprises official planning records relating to more than 180,000 consignments of animals, moving between EU countries and to non-EU countries between October 2021 – April 2023. It clearly shows that the rules for live transport are not robust or detailed enough to truly protect the welfare of animals in the sector.

A joint report by Eurogroup for Animals and Compassion in World Farming.

A data dump of suffering: The EU’s long-distance trade in farm animals exposed | Eurogroup for Animals

Regards Mark

MPs attempt to revive animal welfare measures – BBC News

Animal-loving backbench MPs are trying to breathe new life into welfare legislation quietly dropped by the government last year.

Plans to ban trophy hunting imports, live animal exports and crack down on puppy smuggling were included in the 2019 Conservative election manifesto.

Three MPs are now attempting to get some of these policies into law.

Labour’s John Spellar has launched a Private Members Bill (PMB) to ban hunting trophies.

Two Tory MPs – Selaine Saxby and Anna Firth – have launched separate PMBs to ban live animal exports and make pet abduction a criminal offence.

These two measures were originally included in the Kept Animals Bill, which was dropped by the government over fears it could be used to force a vote on hunting – a deeply divisive issue in the Conservative Party.

On Wednesday, Ms Saxby tabled a PMB to restrict the import of dogs, cats and ferrets to crack down on pet trade.

The RPSCA thanked Ms Saxby for “rescuing” the plans, which they say are crucial for ending puppy farming – where dogs often kept in terrible conditions which would be illegal in the UK, and used to breed multiple litters.

David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said: “Buying an imported puppy leaves new owners open to the very real risk that they are supporting cruel overseas puppy farming.

“We are delighted that Selaine Saxby’s Bill will give the UK government another opportunity to support an end to this cruel trade.”

Ms Firth introduced a PMB to specifically criminalise abducting cats, dogs, and other common pets.

PMBs rarely become law without the support of government, as they do not get the same amount of time dedicated to government businesses.The government has been under pressure to dedicate government time to fresh legislation to fulfil a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies into Great Britain.

Every year, hunters from the UK travel abroad, often to southern Africa, and pay thousands of pounds to legally shoot animals, such as lions and elephants.

Under current rules, with the right paperwork, they can then bring trophies, such as stuffed heads or horns, back to the UK.

The measures had been expected in government legislation but ministers instead backed a PMB from Conservative MP Henry Smith during the last parliamentary session.

It passed the Commons comfortably, but ran out of time as its face opposition in the House of Lords.

Time for PMBs are allocated by a lottery – 20 MPs are randomly chosen for a chance to debate their bill on one of seven Fridays set aside for this purpose.

The top seven MPs get priority for these debating slots.

Julie Elliott, Labour MP for Sunderland Central, won the top spot in the ballot, giving her first priority. Her PMB seeks to level the banking sector’s competitive field by modernising rules that currently restrict building societies’ lending abilities.

Regards Mark

You bet they are under pressure ! – we will continue to make this an issue right up until election day – about 1 year max away.

The government has been under pressure to dedicate government time to fresh legislation to fulfil a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies into Great Britain.