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THE RSPCA is urging the Labour Party to ensure animal welfare is on their agenda as their Party conference in Liverpool nears its end; after a shocking analysis revealed that the UK Government backtracked on 15 policy pledges for animals.

The animal welfare charity has urged the Labour Party to commit to many of these dropped policy proposals at their Conference in Liverpool this week (8 October to 11 October 2023) and a new poll from the charity suggests people across the region agree.

Since 2019, the current UK Government has backtracked on a variety of vital animal welfare issues; with millions of animals paying the price. The final straw came over the summer when they announced they would no longer hold a consultation into banning cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs.

A brand new survey commissioned by the RSPCA revealed that; as Labour Conference delegates gathered in the Region; more than 86% of people in the North West oppose caged hens, even higher than the national average (84%). Over 50% of people had never heard of farrowing crates, but when shown an image, 80% of people in the North West opposed their use.

The RSPCA wants the Labour Party to respond by committing to a ban on cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs; as well as action on the other policy pledges for animals which have recently been abandoned by the UK Government.

Last week, the charity made a similar call ahead of the Conservative Party Conference; urging the Prime Minister to revive the UK Government’s agenda for animals.

Emma Slawinski, Director Of Policy at the RSPCA, said:- “Last week we called on the Prime Minister to make good on his promises for animals, and this week, we’re calling on the Labour Party to ensure that animal welfare is on their agenda too. We headed into the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool with the UK Government’s once-promising animal welfare agenda in tatters and so we want to see Labour promise to hold Ministers to account and rescue these vital pledges. In particular, we were deeply disappointed when the Kept Animals Bill was dropped; legislation that would have tackled the cruel puppy trade ended the import of dogs with cropped ears and stopped the live export of farm animals for further fattening or slaughter. Over the summer, Ministers then announced that they were shelving plans for a consultation in England on banning cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs which sadly means millions of animals will remain confined to cages annually. The UK Government has also not taken action to stop the import of fur from abroad, has shelved ending the sale and import of barbaric foie gras and only last month stopped progress on a consultation to bring in clearer labelling on food to show how it has been produced; despite promising to the contrary. So far we are pleased that Labour has committed to bringing new borderless rules for food trade with the European Union and to ensure we keep our animal standards in trade negotiations, but we need them to go further.”

The 15 broken promises

1) Caged farm animals - The UK Government had promised to consult on banning farm animals being kept in cages in England. Currently, around 10 million hens live in cages in the UK which gives them on average less usable space than an A4 piece of paper. Around 60% of UK sows (about 200,000) are kept in farrowing crates just before giving birth and for around four weeks after their piglets are born. These metal crates are so small that the sows can’t even turn around.

2) Live exports... The UK Government committed to banning live exports of farm animals for further fattening and slaughter as part of the Kept Animals Bill before it was dropped after the legislation spent over 550 days in limbo. Although no animals have been exported since 2020, exports could resume at any time. Once an animal leaves the UK it could face an endless gruelling journey that can last days, causing suffering and go on to be slaughtered in ways that would be illegal in the UK.

3) Livestock worrying... This was also part of the dismantled Kept Animals Bill, and would have given police extra powers to provide protection to livestock against dog control and bite incidents which can result in serious injuries and even death.

4) Puppy smuggling... The Bill was also set to increase the age of imported puppies to 6 months, afford greater protection around the import of pregnant dogs and limit the number of dogs an individual or vehicle can bring into the UK, in an effort to crackdown on the illegal and cruel puppy trade. Mums and puppies are still forced to travel long distances and sold to unsuspecting members of the public who often have to deal with poorly puppies and dogs with behavioural issues.

5) Imports of fur from abroad... Fur farming has been banned in the UK for more than 20 years, but sadly fur can still be imported from countries where animals raised for their fur often live in cramped, barren cages; with little ability to exhibit natural behaviours; and some are killed in horrific and inhumane ways. An RSPCA survey showed that 95% of the public would never wear real fur, but many items for sale in the UK are either incorrectly labelled or not labelled at all and without a ban on imports this is set to continue.

6) Sale and import of foie gras... This product can only be made through a process that is very cruel to ducks and geese. Production of foie gras has never occurred in the UK and was essentially banned as long ago as 1968, but despite pledging to ban imports of foie gras, this has now been allowed to continue.

7) Trade negotiations with high welfare standards... The UK Government vowed to safeguard high animal welfare standards in free trade agreements following Brexit. However, it has now signed 3 Free Trade Agreements (Australia, New Zealand, Trans Pacific) none of which included measures to ensure imports met the UK’s animal standards.

8) Food labelling consultation... Plans for a consultation into mandatory welfare labelling on animal products were recently abandoned. Currently, consumers cannot make an informed choice because there is no clear labelling on the products they buy to show how the animal has been reared and cared for. This comes despite 4 out of 5 people thinking having some knowledge about the way an animal has been cared for is important when making a purchase.

9) Pet theft... Following a recommendation from the Pet Theft Task Force, the UK Government added pet abduction to the Kept Animals Bill which would have made pet theft a specific offence. Pet theft is devastating for owners who understandably see their pet as 1 of the family, but currently, the law treats the theft of a pet the same as the theft of a mobile phone.

10) Banning the use of shock collars... Following a consultation showing overwhelming support for a ban on shock collars in England the Government introduced legislation in April to achieve this. Whilst it was quickly approved by the House of Lords it has stalled and has yet to be introduced to the Commons. Although we are yet to see an actual backtrack we’re concerned that this too could be abandoned, despite Wales having a ban since 2010.

11) Call for evidence on snares; the UK Government committed to launch a call for evidence on the use of snares in England but this was sadly dropped. The RSPCA is opposed to the manufacture, sale and use of all snares and any traps which cause suffering to an animal; and these devices were recently banned by the Welsh Government. Foxes are often the target of such traps, but other animals, such as:- badgers and domestic cats can be potential victims.

12) Renters (Reform) Bill... Renters in England were set to be given a legal right to request their pet lives with them; thus ending:- "blanket bans" on the keeping of beloved companion animals in many rental homes. However, plans have not been taken forward; meaning landlords can still unreasonably refuse a tenant's request to keep a pet in their home without needing to provide a justifiable reason. Although we are yet to see an actual backtrack we’re concerned that this too could be abandoned.

13) Review of slaughter legislation... The government committed to reviewing the slaughter legislation but no progress has occurred on this despite the Government agreeing that lobsters and crabs are sentient animals and need to have protection when being killed and that fish need specific regulations on slaughter.

14) Importation of dogs with cropped ears; despite being illegal, more than 1,100 dogs are reported to have undergone this cruel and unnecessary procedure in the last 3 years. Many also take advantage of the loophole as it is not illegal to import dogs with cropped ears despite these dogs suffering mutilations, often by untrained individuals without pain relief. The law would also have seen a ban on importing declawed cats; also illegal to carry out in the UK.

15) Consultation on game birds' the Government promised a consultation on updating the standards on keeping game birds but no progress has occurred whatsoever.

Following the abandonment of these 15 pledges, the RSPCA hopes that many could be revived if Members of Parliament bring forward backbench legislation due for a ballot later this year.

This November, MPs will get the chance to join a ballot to try to introduce the laws they think are important. This means elected representatives still have time to make change happen for animals.

Emma added:- ”As 1 of the oldest and largest animal welfare organisations in the world, we have had enough of these U-turns and are urging the public to help us put animal welfare back on the agenda.”

The RSPCA is urging the public to contact their MPs, of all parties, and tell them that they must act now to help animals and rescue these policies previously promised by the UK Government.

For more information please visit-: RSPCA.Org.UK.

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