London, 5th June 2023
Today (Monday 5th June 2023) Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) has welcomed the launch of a new petition by Conservative MP and animal welfare champion Andrea Jenkyns urging the Government to reverse its decision to discontinue the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
This comes following Farming Minister Mark Spencer’s announcement on Thursday 25th May that Defra would no longer be continuing the passage of the Kept Animals Bill.
The petition states that: “The Bill was introduced by the Government and was supported through its Second Reading and Committee Stage. This petition calls on the Government to reverse its decision to scrap it and bring it through Parliament to become law.”
Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation is urging supporters and MPs to sign this petition and share it on social media channels with the hashtag #ReturnTheKAB.
You can view and sign the petition here.
Andrea Jenkyns, Conservative MP, commented: “As a Conservative I am proud of the Party’s history on animal welfare, but put simply; the abandonment of the Kept Animals Bill is a stain on this record. Voters will not stand by while key Manifesto commitments to end live exports and address puppy smuggling are left by the wayside. I hope this petition will demonstrate the unequivocal support that the Bill has from the public and MPs, and urge the Government to reconsider this decision.”
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “Like many, we were disappointed by the Government’s decision to discontinue the Kept Animals Bill and urge for the manifesto commitments to be delivered. Almost 14 million people elected this Government on a platform which promised to deliver for animals. More recently, the continuation of this Bill was promised by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2022 during his leadership campaign. We urge all of our supporters and MPs to sign this important petition and demonstrate the strong support that exists across the country for the measures included in the Bill.”
About Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF)
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation was established in 2016 to raise awareness on the lives of billions of animals reared on intensive farms around the world and how this impact upon animal welfare, the environment and people’s health. We want to highlight the action people can take to help advance farm animal welfare.
Animal welfare is an increasing concern amongst the public, who frequently look to Government to take the lead in both maintaining and improving standards.
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation believes it is highly important that the welfare of farm animals is placed at the forefront of the Governments plan for food and farming along with its focus on productivity, competitiveness, and technology.
Media contact: Sophia Stileman (sophia.stileman@conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org)
