#Act4 Wildlife Today marks the 41st meeting of the Standing Committee of Bern Convention institutions, but unfortunately the UK’s continued culling of badgers, as part of its strategy for tackling bovine TB in cattle, will not be on the agenda. Action needed from the Bern Convention to end the UK’s unethical badger cull 29 November 2021 Badger Trust
The Trade & Animal Welfare Coalition (TAWC) has released its new report on how to address core animal welfare standards in UK trade policy. TAWC calls on the UK government to adopt a two-step approach in order to ensure not only that animal welfare is protected in the UK, but also that UK trade policy serves to promote animal welfare in partner countries. UK Trade and Animal Welfare Coalition calls for Core Standards in Free Trade Agreements 23 November 2021
A UK Government-commissioned study has recognised the sentience of decapods and cephalopods, leading to the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill being extended to recognise animals such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp, octopus, cuttlefish and squid as sentient beings. Decapods and cephalopods to be recognised as sentient beings under UK law 23 November 2021
#Act4 AnimalsEU For too long, animal protection has been absent from the conversation around the climate emergency. However, animals and animal-related sectors play a significant role in ensuring a transition towards climate-resilient societies. COP26: Changing food systems and how we treat animals is a major opportunity for climate change mitigation 31 October 2021
On the 15th of October, Sir David Amess, Conservative MP in the UK Parliament tragically died after being stabbed multiple times at his Essex constituency surgery, in what police are treating as a terrorist incident. Sir David, who was 69, had been an MP for almost four decades, and was famous for his love of animals. Eurogroup for Animals’ members pay tribute to Sir David Amess MP 21 October 2021 RSPCA
#Act4 FarmAnimals On 8 June 2021 the UK Government introduced the Animal Welfare Bill to parliament, which introduces a ban on the live export of farmed animals for fattening or slaughter, from or through Great Britain. This ground-breaking ban will spare thousands of farmed animals from a great deal of physical and mental suffering. Great Britain moves to ban live exports; OneKind calls for fast and synchronised action 17 June 2021 One Kind
#Act4 AnimalsEU After several weeks of anticipation, the UK and Australia announced on 15 June that they have reached a political agreement on a trade deal. The future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will grant huge trade preferences to Australian beef and sheep meat, with no further condition on animal welfare standards. This is a dreadful precedent for UK trade policy. UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement sets a dangerous precedent for Animal Welfare 17 June 2021
#Act4 FarmAnimals The RSPCA recently launched a campaign in the UK to persuade supermarkets to join the Better Chicken Commitment, the leading set of broiler welfare standards which is pushing the food industry to adopt better practices RSPCA’s campaign to stop cheap chicken 22 April 2021 RSPCA
Although cephalopods such as octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus, and decapod crustaceans such as lobster, crab, and crayfish are capable of feeling pain and suffering, they are still not legally protected in Scotland. One Kind launched a campaign for cephalopods and decapod crustaceans protection 15 April 2021 One Kind
#Act4 AnimalsEU The numerous issues that arose post Brexit in the trade in animals and animal-derived products between the EU and the UK must pave the way to launch EU-UK talks to set up a “Common Veterinary Area” between the EU and Northern Ireland on one side, and Great Britain on the other - something Eurogroup for Animals has been calling for years. Issues on post-Brexit custom rules should be eased by a Common Veterinary Area 8 March 2021
#Act4 FarmAnimals Eurogroup for Animals' member organisation Animal Equality has released undercover footage from a slaughter facility operated by The Scottish Salmon Company, a supplier of major supermarkets. The footage sheds light on how farmed salmon are killed and is the first of its kind to be released in the UK. The investigation has made several extremely serious animal welfare abuses public, including a significant number of fish who were killed while fully conscious. New investigation shows fish killed while fully conscious in Scottish salmon slaughterhouse 15 February 2021 Animal Equality
#Act4 Wildlife Britain’s pet shops are legally selling tens of thousands of wild animals including crocodiles, monkeys and venomous snakes and lizards as “exotic” pets, researchers have found. Most species involved are endangered species, potentially dangerous to humans or highly susceptible to serious welfare problems in captivity, an animal welfare charity said. All were “unsuitable as pets”. UK pet shops selling dangerous or endangered crocodiles, monkeys and venomous snakes 6 January 2021
