Animal welfare

I know that animal welfare is a priority for many local people in Chichester, as is shown by the good work done by local organisations such as the Cat & Rabbit Rescue Centre in Sidlesham, RSPCA Mount Noddy and Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital. 
 
My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I believe in improving animal welfare standards wherever possible. For example, we support closing the legal loophole which allows the import of dog with cropped ears, cracking down on puppy and horse smuggling, and minimising the use of animals in scientific experimentation, particularly in the cosmetics industry by funding research into alternatives. 
 
We have a track record of animal rights advocacy, including improved standards of animal welfare in agriculture, ensuring the protection of funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit and ended the practice of housing chickens in battery cages whilst in Coalition Government.  We strongly believe that we should be ending live exports of all animals. 
 
Like us, animals can experience suffering, pain and fear. Experts in the field of neuroscience are confident that mammals, birds and many other creatures possess consciousness. If we accept animal sentience, then animal cruelty must be considered unacceptable. It is crucial that we change the law to better protect animals from harm. The Liberal Democrats have long supported these changes in law and it is time the new Government made animal welfare a priority. 
 
In the previous Parliament, my colleague Tim Farron MP brought forward a Bill which would have brought back the Kept Animals Bill and crack down on animal cruelty. 
 

On a wider note, I was pleased to support the Private Member’s Bill introduced by my colleague, Dr Danny Chambers MP, which would stop the commercial import of puppies, kittens and ferrets, and protect heavily pregnant pets. It would also ban the import of animals that have been mutilated, such as those with cropped ears or docked tails. These practices have long been banned in the UK, but a loophole still allows such animals to be imported from abroad. 

The Liberal Democrats have also long been supportive of a unilateral ban on trophy hunting imports, unless certified as historical or artistic significance, which have such negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, the natural heritage of their countries of origin, natural resources and conservation of species. 
 
Additionally, the fur trade should have no place in a country which cares for animals as much as we do. Many of my Liberal Democrat colleagues, including our Environment spokesperson Tim Farron, signed a letter to the Secretary of State for Environment imploring the Government to ban the import and sale of animal fur in the UK. 
 
With the Conservatives finally out of power, we have the opportunity to make meaningful improvements to animal welfare protections, and my colleagues and I are willing to work across the aisle to make that happen.