We have been working hard re live animal exports. Over the last week we have sent out copies of the UK – Germany export video made by Eyes on Animals. We have been in contact with the UK government and supplied them with copies of some of the protests against the trade at Ramsgate harbour. In addition, we have also written and supplied video links to the UK Minister at Defra, as well as to several Conservative MP’s asking them to take action against the trade.
In response to many of the above points we have raised; we have now been contacted by Lorraine Platt – Co-Founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation.
There are several points in the message from Lorraine which give us some hope.
You can see her article for the CAWF relating to live exports at http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2016/08/lorraine-platt-brexit-must-mean-more-regulations-on-animal-farming-not-less.html
As we have said recently on this site; leaving the EU will give the people of the UK powers to improve animal welfare rather than have to put up with the excuses from Brussels that we have all experienced and the words that they tell us they can do nothing when provided with (for example) the clear breaches of EU Regulations at the EU / Turkish border.
If the EU does not have the balls to take action then we will have to go independent (Brexit) and as the people voted – take back our own controls from a very lack luster Brussels.
We are very encourage to read that the CAWF have made the following statement:
We urge the Government to introduce a Bill in Parliament to ban live exports so that the ban is ready to come into force on the day that the UK leaves the EU. We want people to speak up for the voiceless and tell the world: ‘Animals Are Not Freight’.
In addition to this, we also see the following points which may all have an influence on how the UK deals with live animal exports in the future:
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There is increasing support for mandatory CCTV in all slaughterhouses: Conservative MP Henry Smith, Co-Chairman of the All Party Group for Animal Welfare in the House of Commons launched a debate calling for it, and Philip Hollobone MP led a Westminster Hall debate on non-stun slaughter which was well supported by MPs. The debate was triggered by 115,000 public signatures.
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Another Conservative MP, Anne Main, recently introduced a Bill calling for better labelling to back British Farmers. During her speech in parliament, she said: ‘it is not right or fair that other European countries can dodge animal welfare issues, can hide anonymously behind inadequate labelling and at the same time undercut our farming industry.’
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As the UK will soon no longer be bound by the EU’s free trade rules, the Government should ban the live export trade which over the years has caused immense suffering to our animals.
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Lorraine will very soon be having a personal meeting with the Environment Minister; at which she will be bringing the issue of live animal exports to her attention again.
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MP Craig MacKinlay has introduced a Bill to help end live exports. He joined animal welfare campaigners at Ramsgate port on 26th August. The Bill will have its next reading on the 4th November.
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The videos made by Ian Driver at Ramsgate, and which you can see on this site, have also been tweeted on the CAWF twitter site.
We are hopeful at what we hear from CAWF. Especially as this shows the once free from the do-nothing people and red tape of the EU, the UK will be able to go it alone and take back control of its own rules and regulations – free from the do nothing shakles of the EU. Hopefully very positive news for animals and their welfare.
As we said after the result of the Brexit vote was known; UK animal welfare groups are not going to pack up and go home. Quite the opposite – we hope that free from the control and restraints of Brussels, much higher welfare standards can be established and the UK can ensure that any trade deals set up between the UK and overseas partners will ensure that only the highest animal welfare standards are accepted.
This obviously does not solve the problem of all live exports; but we hope it may be a start towards some bans. We also very much hope that out friends and fellow campaigners in the EU will see that nations can take back control, set their own rules, and get away from the no action top dogs called the EU which currently govern them.
The fight goes on but we see light at the end of the Brexit tunnel for animals due to be exported from the UK at least. Other bans in the EU ? – that is up to other EU member states to decide if they stay or if they go from Brussels.
SAV.
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Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 