Zac’s Record on Animal Welfare
I have campaigned for many years on issues related to animal welfare; through the Ecologist Magazine which I edited for a decade, through my fundraising for cutting edge organisations around the world, and as an MP since 2010. I include below a summary of actions since 2010.
Animal Experimentation
I believe non- medical animal experimentation should stop (see: LINK) and that medical experimentation needs to be greatly reduced, as other methods are developed. The science is unreliable, which is one reason we have so many dangerous products on the market.
I have taken part in debates, and signed a great many Early Day Motions to that effect. For instance:
o Motion calling on the Government to maintain and enforce higher UK standards. LINK
o Motion to ensure that cleaning products used throughout the Parliamentary estate have been certified as not tested on animals. LINK
o Motion calling for more accountability and openness in Animal Experiments. LINK
o Motion calling for the Government to publish a strategy on how numbers of animals used in experiments can be reduced. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to introduce a total ban on the testing of finished products and ingredients. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to develop a strategy which identifies and implements targets for sustained reductions in the number of animals used annually in experiments. LINK
o Motion calling for properly moderated scientific public debates on the misleading results and bad science of animal experiments. LINK
I have also campaigned heavily against the use of Primates in research, and strongly support BUAV’s work in this area – see: LINK
I have signed an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to introduce a complete ban on the import of the offspring of wild-caught primates (F1 and F2 generations) and those from facilities which still capture primates from the wild. See LINK
Bees
As a member of the Environmental Audit Committee, I was involved in an inquiry that looked at ‘Pollinators and Pesticides’, and investigated the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honey bees and other pollinator insects. In our report, we called for the Government to impose a moratorium in the UK on the use of these three neonicotinoid pesticides; and, simultaneously exercise its influence in Europe to lobby for such a moratorium to be introduced by the European Commission across the EU. Click HERE for a link to the report, and HERE for more on the story.
I also supported the Capital Growth bee project in 2010 LINK and more recently, Friends of the Earth’s Bee Cause campaign, which has been backed by more than 80,000 people. It calls for the Government to urgently introduce a National Bee Action Plan aimed at saving our bees. See: LINK
I have raised this issue with DEFRA many times, via the following written questions to ministers: See:
- Question to David Heath 2013 LINK
- Question to David Heath 2013 LINK
- Question to David Heath 2013 LINK
- Question to James Paice 2011 LINK
Badger Cull
I have consistently spoken out (see: LINK) and voted (see: LINK ) against the badger cull, and have signed three Early Day Motions opposing the cull.
o Motion calling on the Government to make a statement to the House and bring forward a vote to decide on the most cost effective, humane and efficient way to reduce bovine TB. LINK
o Motion calling on the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to bring this matter before the House before any decision on a wider roll-out of a pilot badger cull is taken and that such a matter should be subject to a vote of the House. LINK
o Motion calling on the Secretary of State to take account of the opportunities offered by successful badger vaccination trials and to prepare the way with Brussels for the earliest possible application and introduction of cattle vaccines. LINK
I have also put a number of questions to DEFRA ministers. See: LINK and LINK
Ban on Wild animals in circuses
I support a ban (see: LINK and LINK) on the use of wild animals in circuses. I have twice voted for a ban, and have spoken out on the issue many times (see: LINK). I have signed an Early Day Motion, calling for a ban, and supported Jim Fitzpatrick’s Private Members Bill which was brought before the House in September. I also took part in a Parliamentary rally to raise awareness of the issue. You can read more about HERE
Making CCTV in Slaughter Houses manditatory
I support the campaign to make CCTV in slaughter houses mandatory, and have signed an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals for the mandatory installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) in UK slaughterhouses. LINK
Farm Animal Welfare and Factory Farming
I have campaigned for years against factory farming, and for more sustainable and humane agriculture.
See HERE to read my article about supporting dairy farmers.
I have also signed the following Early Day Motions:
o Motion calling on the Government to produce a strategy that assesses the impacts the livestock sector has on the environment, sets out the policy changes needed to reduce them, ensures problems are not simply moved overseas, and supports a sustainable and thriving UK farming industry. LINK
o Motion urging retailers and producers of dairy products not to source milk from industrial dairy units. LINK
o Motion urging the Government to abandon its opposition to the European Commission’s proposals for a ban on cloning and the sale of food from clones and to press the EU to also ban the use of the offspring of clones in EU farming and the sale of food from the offspring of clones or, at least, to require such food to be labelled to enable consumers to make informed choices. LINK
I also support Compassion in World Farming’s ‘Cows Belong in Fields’ campaign and signed the Early Day Motion tabled to welcome its calls. See: LINK
In 2010, I campaigned heavily against the Nocton Dairies proposal (See HERE for my speech in Parliament on the issue) and was delighted when the application was withdrawn.
I have also devoted a great deal of time to campaigning for welfare standards for pigs. Currently UK welfare standards ensure that pigs are not kept in sow stalls, but that is next to worthless given that we allow our own pig farmers to be undercut by cheap imports (from countries that do not adhere to these same standards). ‘Pig Business’ is one of the most active, campaigns around at the moment, and I would encourage everyone to watch the film they produced LINK. I have helped fundraise for this important charity (LINK). You can read more about Pig Business’ campaign objectives HERE, and find out how you can get involved HERE
I strongly believe Britain should ban the import of meat that has been produced to lower standards than our own.
Antibiotics
I have led the campaign in Parliament against the routine use of antibiotics in factory farms, and am making some progress. Click HERE for more on my campaign. I have also tabled, sponsored and signed the following Early day Motions:
o Motion calling on the Government to take steps to ensure that the routine prophylactic use of antibiotics on UK farms is phased out and that specific controls are introduced on the use in livestock of antibiotics that are critically important in human medicine. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to take steps to ensure that the routine prophylactic use of antibiotics on UK farms is phased out and that specific controls are introduced on the use in livestock of antibiotics that are critically important in human medicine. LINK
UK Fish
I have been instrumental in leading the debate on reform of the Commons Fisheries Policy (see: LINK) and have worked closely with Greenpeace and other organisations for a long time to restore balance to our quota system in favour of the smaller operators.
I have campaigned hard for an end to fish discards, and my Parliamentary Early Day Motion, (LINK) which was endorsed by MPs across the Parties, provided impetus for the then fishing Minister to successfully negotiate for a ban in the EU. He also secured an agreement that foreign fishing vessels have to adhere to UK conservation measures when they are fishing in UK waters. You can read the transcript of the debate I secured on the issue HERE and news on the outcome HERE
Internationally, the problem is even worse, with 15 of the world’s great fisheries collapsed or on the brink of collapse. I am campaigning hard for our overseas territories to be designated as giant marine protected areasLINK.I am also pushing for an international agreement to police the high seas and help countries defend their stocks against poaching by international vessels.
You can view the most recent questions I have put to Defra, HERE and HERE.
I have signed the following Early Day Motions relevant to these campaigns:
o Motion welcoming Sainsbury’s Switch the Fish campaign which encourages its customers to widen their shopping repertoire by trying one of five underutilised species of fish LINK
o Motion calling on the Government and devolved administrations to take steps to regulate scallop dredging as a matter of urgency to protect the marine eco system and ensure that the United Kingdom can continue to support a diverse range of marine wildlife off its coasts. LINK
o Motion welcoming the Marine Ecosystems Recovery Strategy agreed on World Oceans Day. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to demand strong reform of the European Union Common Fisheries Policy to institute a regionalised, ecosystems-based management framework which incentivises the use of selective gear, uses real-time management, including temporary closures, and establishes ecosystem catch quotas rather than single-species landing quotas. LINK
Overseas Territories and Marine Protected Areas
Our oceans are being exhausted and I am campaigning hard for our overseas territories to be designated as marine protected areas, and pushing for an international agreement to police the high seas and help countries defend their stocks against poaching by international vessels.
To view the questions I’ve put to ministers on this issue, click on the following LINK. To read my speech during a debate on the issue earlier this year, click on this LINK I will continue to pursue this at every opportunity, and to follow progress on this campaign, see the dedicated campaign page on my website: LINK
Finally, this LINK takes you to a brochure I wrote on the need to convert our Overseas territories into Marine reserves. It has been backed by a wide alliance of organisations, and by MPs from all parties.
Protecting the Arctic
The Environmental Audit Committee, of which I am a member, has undertaken an inquiry on Protecting the Arctic, (see: LINK).
I have signed an Early Day Motion which calls on the Government to recognise that the warming in the Arctic is a genuine threat to polar bears, with the majority of studied populations declining.
I support Greenpeace’s hugely important campaign to protect the Arctic, and am encouraging as many others as I can to do the same. For more about the campaign see: LINK
You can view the questions I have put to ministers on this topic HERE and HERE, and you can read my speech during a Parliamentary debate on the Arctic HERE
Illegal Wildlife Trade: Elephants and Rhinos
I have followed the issue of wildlife crime very closely in the four years I have been an MP and have taken part in Select Committee inquiries (see: LINK), tabled questions, and written articles for the media. Click HERE to read an article I wrote in the Independent at the end of last year. I have arranged and taken part in numerous meetings with Ministers and campaigners throughout the past four years, urging greater urgency from Government.
I have also tabled, sponsored or signed the following Early Day Motions:
o Motion calling on the Government to encourage international support for the protection of elephants which are now universally acknowledged as intelligent, social, sentient beings and to use the overseas aid budget to make a substantial and strategically important contribution to the African Elephant Action Plan adopted in 2010 by all 38 African Elephant Range States in order to enable African countries to take the necessary steps to protect their elephants from poachers and to stop the illegal trafficking of ivory. LINK
o Motion calling on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Department to recognise publicly the importance of the National Wildlife Crime Unit and to commit to maintain its current level of funding with long-term certainty beyond March 2013, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee’s Wildlife Crime report. LINK
o Motion calling on the Indian and South-East Asian governments to take immediate measures to bring such ill-treatment to an end; and calls on United Kingdom tourists not to support any attractions that involve captive elephant. LINK
o Motion calling on Government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Home Department and the Ministry of Defence to take a more active interest in this issue so that the UK takes a lead internationally in tackling this crime. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to work with Asian and African nations to tackle this crime and enforce a global ban on rhino horn use in medicines. LINK
o Motion urging the Government to deliver a thorough, domestic, strategic plan for tackling wildlife crime offences within the UK. LINK
o Motion urging the Government to ensure wildlife crime is recognised as serious organised crime and to ensure wildlife crime is tackled effectively across the UK through providing long-term strategic and financial support. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to carry out election pledges on protecting wildlife in order for the UK to meet the new European Union target of halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems by 2020. LINK
o Motion calling on the Government to encourage international support for the protection of elephants, and to use the overseas aid budget to make a substantial and strategically important contribution to the African Elephant Action Plan adopted in 2010 by all 38 African Elephant Range States in order to enable African countries to take the necessary steps to protect their elephants from poachers and to stop the illegal trafficking of ivory. LINK
At the end of last year, I addressed the wider issues in a debate, the transcript of which can be found HERE.
Earlier this year, I spoke in Parliament about the ivory trade and its links to terrorism LINK. See here if you’d like to watch the debate (my contribution begins at 16:00:55 – LINK
Outside Parliament, I have been working with different charities and organisations to raise awareness about the threat to elephants, and to raise funds for cutting edge organisations that are tackling the issue.
I co-sponsored an Early Day Motion on Rhino Poaching, which called for the Government to work with Asian and African nations and enforce a global ban on rhino horn use in medicines. See: LIN
Puppy Farms
I have signed two Early Day Motions in relation to puppy farms and pet shops:
o Motion urging the Government to improve regulations and advertising criteria at breeding establishments and to encourage local authorities to carry out more stringent inspections to tackle this issue at source. LINK
o Motion calling on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to introduce secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops and by third parties.
I also recently met Marc Ambraham to discuss changes in law on dog breeding and trade. See: LINK
Sea Turtle Farming
I support WSPA’s campaign to Stop Sea Turtle Farming, and signed an Early Day Motioncongratulating the Society for bringing to light the evidence of animal welfare abuse at the Cayman Turtle Farm in the US. The Early Day Motion also called on the Government to condemn the practice of producing turtle meat for consumption, and move towards practices which promoted the protection of turtles
Seal Trade
There is already an EU ban on the commercial trade in seal products, which is supported by Conservatives. This needs to be rigorously enforced. UK Seal populations are declining, and they need full legislative protection.
Shark finning
I have supported and raised funds for many campaigns against shark finning. I have also put questions to ministers on the issue. See: LINK and LINK
Transportation of live animals to Slaughter
Like the majority of British people, I would prefer British animals to be slaughtered in the UK and not exported live. Under European Union law, it is illegal to ban the export of animals to other EU countries, and I believe those laws need to be challenged.
Whaling
We must insist on strict adherence to the moratorium on commercial whaling, and to resist efforts by countries like Japan to legitimise so-called ‘scientific’ whaling. I have signed an Early Day Motion, which calls on the Government to urge Japan, Norway and Iceland to end their whaling for commercial purposes, and to ensure that the International Whaling Commission becomes a true conservation body for the protection of whales.
I am also an active supporter of the Sea Shepherd organisation. See LINK
Some other important Early Day Motions I have signed :
o Motion condemning Bear bile farming LINK
o Motion condemning Beak trimming LINK
o Motion condemning the treatment of dogs in China LINK
o Motion calling for the labeling of products made from animal fur LINK
o Motion calling for an end to the shooting of Hares during breeding season LINK
Finally, my book – The Constant Economy – covers many of the same issues. A summary can be found HERE