Thank you to everyone who has written to me about animal rights and protecting our precious pets, wildlife, and farm animals.
Animal welfare is really important to me, and something that I regularly raise with ministers in parliament. From those conversations, I know how much they care too about going further to protect animals and stand up for nature, and how much they appreciate the tireless campaigning of animal rights advocates like you who take the time to contact me about this vital issue.
I know how disappointed many local residents were after the last Conservative government spent years breaking their promises on animal welfare, leaving animals to endure needless suffering because of outdated laws, legal loopholes, and the continuation of cruel practices.
That’s why I was proud that at the last election Labour promised strong action on animal welfare, with new strategy representing the biggest step forward for animal welfare since Labour were last in government. Through the action we are taking, animals will be better protected from cruelty, whether they are pets in our homes, livestock on farms, or roaming free in the wild – something I am really proud to be supporting as your MP.
In Thanet, I have been campaigning for a ‘closed season’ to protect hares from hunting, which would ban hares from being shot during their February to October breeding season, so I am absolutely delighted to see this included in the strategy.
Other key measures include:
Protecting pets
Britain is a nation of animal lovers, and I know so many in East Thanet have been shocked to learn about unregulated puppy farming, puppy smuggling, and the use of electric shock collars on pets. That is why I am delighted the government has committed to:
- Introduce a single registration system for all puppy breeders to they can be traced and anti-cruelty laws can be properly enforced.
- Deliver on our manifesto promise to end puppy farming.
- Ban puppy smuggling and introducing tough new restrictions on the transportation of more than five pets in a vehicle.
- Ban the import of dogs and cats under six months old or heavily pregnant, to prevent suffering during long journeys.
- Consult on banning electric shock collars.
- I’m also delighted that our new Renters Rights Act prevents landlords from unreasonably blocking tenants from keeping a pet.
Improving the welfare of farm animals
Britain used to be a leader when it came to the welfare of farmed animals, but after years of inaction we having been falling behind other European nations with respect to key animal welfare standards. That’s why I strongly welcome measures in the strategy that:
- Introduce a plan to phase out colony cages for hens laying eggs.
- Work with the farming industry to phase out the use of farrowing crates for pigs.
- Address welfare concerns related to high-concentration CO2 for stunning pigs.
- Ban the boiling of live lobsters and consult on introducing standards for the humane killing of fish.
Protecting nature and our precious countryside
We are so lucky in Thanet to be blessed with beautiful countryside and many wonderful wild animals that need our protection. That’s why I am backing the strategy’s measures to:
- Ban trail hunting, which for too long has been used as a smokescreen for the illegal hunting of foxes and other wild animals.
- Ban the use of snare traps, which are indiscriminate and inhumane.
- Review and strengthen penalties for cruelty against wildlife so that they are consistent with higher levels of sentencing available for animal welfare offences against pets and farmed animals.
As an MP I am passionate about protecting animals from harm and preserving our precious wildlife, so please rest assured that I will continue to back strong action when it comes to animal welfare.