The Queen promises "the highest standard of animal welfare" in the UK.
The UK Government has promised "the highest standards of animal welfare" in the UK as part of the Queen's Speech. Outlining its plans for the upcoming Parliament, the pledges ranged from improving standards in zoos to mandatory microchipping for cats.The measures will be covered by three bills introduced over the next year.
The UK Prime Minister’s Office has said it wanted to be a “global leader” on animal welfare and set “high standards for others across the world to follow”.
The proposals have been welcomed by animal charities, with the RSPCA saying these changes could make “a real and lasting difference”, but warned the Prime Minister to make sure the plans were not just “some token gesture.
The Government has gone into more detail in a raft of documents accompanying the Queen’s Speech. In its Action Plan for Animal Welfare, it commits to: -
Recognising animal sentience - the capacity of animals to have feelings, including pain and suffering - in law through the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill
Ending the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter and taking "further steps" to limit foie gras trade
Bringing in "more effective powers" to tackle livestock worrying as part of its Kept Animals Bill
Also using the bill to stop people keeping primates as pets, improving standards in zoos and "cracking down" on puppy smuggling
Bringing in mandatory cat microchipping and improving the current databases.
The new animal welfare bill will also look at a crackdown on the trade of the delicacy, which involves the force feeding of birds and has been condemned as cruel.Foie gras, which is often served pan fried or as a pâté, has long been controversial. Earlier this year Fortnum and Mason announced it would stop importing it and phase out the last of its stock. The artificially fattened liver of a duck or a goose, foie gras is made using a technique called gavage, force-feeding the birds twice or three times daily, often via a tube down their throats.
The government also proposed banning the import of hunting trophies - as well as stopping advertising for the trips to hunt them - in its Animals Abroad Bill and to implement the Ivory Act it first promised in 2017, under Theresa May.
Animal welfare is a devolved issue, but Westminster will work with Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to discuss the policies for broader use.
The government said the plans for the three bills would bring in "greater protections for wild animals by ending low welfare practices", ensure "effective powers are available to address welfare challenges" for farm animals and recognise "the importance of pets to people's lives".
Ministers have also said they want to “deliver on our commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare by bringing forward ambitious plans to improve standards and eradicate cruel practices”. They also claim the UK can “take advantage” of its post-Brexit status outside the EU to “go further in protecting our animals, whether on the farm, at home or in the wild”.
Courtesy of HKALPO