Last week, I paid a visit to my good friends Lorraine and Chris Platt at the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF), who have recently opened a new headquarters in Molesey.
This was a great opportunity to see the new offices, but also to celebrate a major achievement for the foundation. They’ve been campaigning hard for a ban on the export of live animals for slaughter – and plans to do just that were announced by Environment Secretary George Eustice on Thursday. Importantly, the UK has previously been unable to make these changes under EU rules.
The government’s consultation on these measures, which is available here, also looks at ensuring that animals are given more space and headroom during transport, and introducing tighter rules for transporting animals in extreme temperatures or by sea. The proposals are part of a renewed push by the government to strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader on animal welfare.
Through the CAWF, Lorraine and Chris have done great work on this front, and can be very proud of their contribution to the new proposals.