The British Parliament voted on Tuesday to ban the export of live farm animals, a pioneering decision for the United Kingdom, which differs from the European Union where this practice is still in force. This Farm Animal Welfare Bill must end the export of thousands of cows, pigs, goats, sheep, wild boar and horses for slaughter or fattening from or through England, Wales and Scotland.
The text, already approved by the elected representatives of the House of Commons, was adopted on Tuesday by the House of Lords. It will be enshrined in law once it receives the royal seal, a formality.
Emma Slawinski, leader of the British animal welfare organization RSPCA, which has campaigned for the ban for almost 50 years, called it an “extraordinary achievement.”
“The suffering of animals is intense and lasts a long time”
“In the 1990s, more than a million animals were exported out of the UK (each year). It is an abhorrent trade. The suffering of animals is intense and long-lasting, and journeys count in days rather than hours. Fortunately, this will never happen again,” he said.
This proposal was first formulated in 2017 by the British Conservatives and presented as a “benefit of Brexit”, the EU trade rules that prevent member states from banning exports of live animals to other countries in the union. “This is a great day. Farmed animals have endured these senseless exports to the continent for decades, but not anymore,” said Philip Lymbery, director general of the organization CIWF (Compassion in World).
During Tuesday’s vote, several members of the House of Lords expressed regret that the law does not apply in Northern Ireland, where, under post-Brexit rules, certain EU rules, especially on trade, continue to apply. NGOs protecting farm animals are urging the European Union to also ban the export of live animals to third countries, but this option was recently ruled out by the Commission. In his proposal to review the regulation at the end of 2023, still under negotiation, he preferred stricter requirements on the condition of the ships and the good treatment of animals on board.
Elsewhere in the world, Australia has committed to ending the export of live sheep by 2028. New Zealand has also banned the export of live cattle by sea from April 2023.
Source: BFM TV
