This week (6th – 9th March), leading farm animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming is taking to the road to urge Defra Ministers, and the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to finally ban live animal exports.

The Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto promised to ban live exports for slaughter and fattening. The Kept Animals Bill, which will see the ban come into effect, was published by the Government in May 2021 but has now been stalled in Parliament for over 15 months. Meanwhile, during the Conservative Party leadership contest, Rishi Sunak said he looked forward to ‘championing’ the Kept Animals Bill. But Defra Ministers and the PM have failed to deliver, and now simply say this legislation will progress ‘when time allows’.

Starting in Somerset, Compassion is taking a digital ad van across England. It will travel from Taunton to Suffolk, Nottinghamshire, the Lake District (the locations of the constituency offices of four Defra Ministers) and on to Yorkshire for a final stop at the Prime Minister’s constituency. At each stop around the country, the charity will hand over a model animal transport lorry full of the signatures of over 27,000 people who added their names to a recent petition that demands the Kept Animals Bill passes through Parliament and into law without further delay.

The van will visit the constituency offices of Defra’s Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey, and Ministers Mark Spencer, Rebecca Pow and Trudy Harrison, culminating in the Prime Minister’s constituency. As the digital ad van makes its way across England, it will display images of calves and sheep suffering during export journeys from Britain to Europe, highlighting the need to ban this cruel trade once and for all.

“The Kept Animals Bill has not progressed in Parliament since November 2021 and the Government simply aren’t making it a priority, despite calls from the British public and NGOs, including Compassion in World Farming, to do so,” said James West, Senior Policy Manager at Compassion in World Farming. “By taking our campaign to the doorsteps of those who can advance this Bill, we are making it impossible for them to ignore it any longer.”

“Live exports cause overcrowding, stress, exhaustion, dehydration, hunger and even death. This cruel trade must end. Ministers won’t take the Kept Animals Bill back to the House of Commons to secure a British live export ban, so we are making sure their constituents know about it. This legislation has cross-party support and is ready for its final stages in the House of Commons. So, what is the Government waiting for?”

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View Ad Van Tour images.

For more information please email media.team@ciwf.org or call 01483 521 615.