Animal Welfare

This page contains responses to multiple campaigns on many varieties of issues regarding animal welfare. If you scroll down the page, you will find the campaign you are looking for.

Many constituents may already know that I am a proud lover of animals. I personally own three cats, Mimi, Penny and Hugo – all of whom bring me happiness and comfort when I return to my home in Stourbridge after spending time representing the constituency in Westminster.

 I want every Stourbridge constituent to know that I will be a champion for animals and animal owners alike in Parliament. I know many people feel the same way that I do regarding the need to protect our furry friends. This has become very apparent to me and my team with so many constituents writing in supporting campaigns from the RSPCA, Animal Aid, Animal Justice Project, Animal Welfare Investigations Project, Four Paws UK, Animal Free Research UK, PETA, Humane Society International and Hope Rescue.

 Please rest assured, my love for animals is seeing both myself and my staff interact with the mentioned agencies and organisations running a variety of different animal welfare campaigns. Over the last month we have attended numerous drop-ins, events and reached out to organisations to table meetings for us to discuss how best I can be of support to animal rights in Parliament.

 If you wish to be updated regarding my interactions with animal organisations, alongside finding out some of the other activities I engage in whilst representing Stourbridge residents in Parliament, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter here: Contact me — Cat Eccles MP for Stourbridge

Animal Welfare Investigations Project:

I and my Government colleagues recognise the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why the Government directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help it to undertake this work. I understand there are currently no plans to make all wildlife crimes notifiable. I know this may be disappointing, but any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can be investigated as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

 As you may know, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increased the maximum penalty for certain animal cruelty offences from six months to five years’ imprisonment. I supported this legislation, and my colleagues called for this to cover not only domestic animals but also wild animals. However, the previous Government opposed this. I am concerned that this outcome has resulted in a two-tier system for penalties for cruelty against domestic and wild animals.

Humane Society International:

Fur farming in the UK is rightly banned, and has been since 2000 in England and Wales, and in Northern Ireland and Scotland since 2002. However, it is still legal to import and sell fur in the UK from certain species. I am aware that in 2018, a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee found that real fur was being sold as fake by high street and online clothes retailers.

 As a newly formed Government, Ministers are currently in the process of reviewing policies, which will be announced in due course. This includes the consultation on the Fur Market in Great Britain, which was run by the previous Government in 2021. No conclusions were issued, or action taken following this consultation. I know the use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue the new Government will want to fully consider in due course.

Four Paws UK:

I support plans to ban the import of hunting trophies from abroad. Trophy hunting is a cruel, damaging and outdated practice where tens of thousands of endangered animals are killed each year for fun so that people can take photos or bring home body parts as souvenirs. The things trophy hunters do are shameful. I stand behind pledges to outlaw and end illegal practices of puppy smuggling and farming by criminal gangs who profit from animal cruelty.

 I want to see an end to the sale of animals with cropped ears, to the import of dogs and cats with fashion-based mutilations, and to the import of heavily pregnant dogs and cats.

Foie gras production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for 17 years and is not compatible with UK animal welfare legislation. As mentioned previously, Ministers are currently in the process of reviewing policies, including foie gras imports.

RSPCA:

Cropped Dog Ears: The 621% increase in reports to the RSPCA of ear cropping since 2015 is horrifying. This trend causes pain and a risk of infection to dogs and often takes place alongside other forms of animal abuse and mistreatment. These practices are already illegal in the UK under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. I also consider it essential to call out people who put images of cropped dogs on social media platforms for likes, shares and followers, ignoring pain that dog endures. I was extremely disappointed the previous Conservative Government dropped the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. This Bill was scrutinised by Parliament and reassurances were given that it would be returned for further debate. The decision to drop it was a profound setback for animal welfare. This legislation would have allowed for regulations to restrict the import of dogs on welfare grounds, including the possibility of banning the import of dogs with cropped ears or docked tails.

Fireworks: Displays run by local charities and organisations can provide a safe and organised way for people to enjoy fireworks, while bringing the community together and raising funds for local causes. At the same time, I believe it is important to ensure we also protect people, animals and the planet from the misuse of fireworks. I understand both the stress and anxiety it can cause to smaller children, older people and those who suffer from mental health issues, as well as to pets and livestock.

 Current fireworks regulations are from 2004. It is reasonable to believe lots of change has happened in the last twenty years that may make these regulations feel out of date when ensuring the wellbeing of people and animals alike. I can assure you I will be bringing this up with colleagues and monitoring this matter in Parliament.

Animal Aid:

I completely support ending the use of snare traps in England and I am proud that this Government has pledged to achieve this. Snares regularly cause unnecessary suffering and harm to animals. Not only do they hurt the animals they are set to catch, but there are reports of other animals and pets being caught in, injured by, or sometimes killed by snares, which is heartbreaking.

 When caught, if animals do not stop pulling to escape the snare, they can often die of asphyxiation. They can also be snared by parts of the body that cause horrific injuries and a slow death. When animals with offspring are caught, it means their babies are left to die of starvation. Ensnared animals can also be attacked by other animals, or die of hypothermia, dehydration or starvation. All of these are appalling ways for animals to die.

 During the previous Government’s time in office, my colleagues tried to amend the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to introduce a ban on the use of snares in England, but the previous Conservative Government voted this down. This piece of legislation was then ultimately also dropped which I was appalled by.

Animal Justice Project:

I am aware there have been reports of serious abuse against animals in abattoirs. There are regulations in place that govern the operation of slaughterhouses, including the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which places a requirement not to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal.

 The Food Standards Agency carries out checks on slaughterhouses to ensure animal welfare compliance. Individuals who are involved in killing and related operations must be appropriately trained and licensed and must hold a proficiency qualification before being able to apply for a Certificate of Competence.

 The Small Abattoir Fund is designed to help boost the small slaughterhouse sector. There has been a rapid decline in the number of local abattoirs and therefore many animals travel long journeys prior to slaughter. Providing shorter travel times with the support of the Small Abattoir Fund will generally be better for animal welfare and boosts local production.

 Since 2018 slaughterhouses must have installed CCTV and keep the images for 90 days and make the images available to FSA inspectors. CCTV must provide a complete and clear view of killing and related operations in all areas of the slaughterhouse where there are live animals. The FSA also issues data on animal welfare enforcement in cases of non-compliance.

 I am personally a vegetarian, but I will be monitoring the abattoir situation making sure that animal welfare is maintained and treated as a necessity when regulations are discussed in Parliament.