Looming Brexit Could Be a Disaster for Animals
The Animal Survival International is deeply concerned that the chaos surrounding Brexit is very bad indeed for animals. 80 percent of current animal welfare legislation comes from EU law. If the UK leaves Europe on October 31, as planned by the Conservative government, UK animal welfare may well suffer enormous setbacks. A raft of new legislation will be needed to protect animals at a time when the country will be wrestling with an array of serious legislative issues. There is no indication from the government that animal welfare will be on any priority list. As just one example of the scope of the problem is that a million pets have travelled with their owners from the UK to Europe on Eurostar since 2013. The UK government’s response to this is to state that pet travel requirements will change on the day Brexit happens, and that it is possible from then on – and we quote: “You must have your dog, cat or ferret microchipped and vaccinated against rabies before it can travel. You must wait three months from the date the successful blood sample was taken before you can travel.” The hardship for pets and owners, should this happen, is hard to overstate. The tests will be expensive and the paperwork time consuming, holidays will become more difficult to arrange and finance, and pets more likely to be abandoned. There are massive concerns about the welfare of farm animals. Britain will have to urgently negotiate new trade agreements, which will almost certainly be made with countries with lower animal welfare standards. Britons could be faced with a flood of beef from the USA where cattle are given growth hormones, and pork which is produced from pigs raised in sow stalls, where the sow is barely able to move and unable to turn around and is without proper bedding. Sow stalls have been banned in the EU since January 2013. Then, there is the problem of chickens as many countries still allow battery cages that are inherently cruel to the fowls. Animal lovers may well have no way of knowing under what conditions animals are raised. Abusing animals is cheaper than raising them under reasonable conditions which means that meat produced by cruel treatment will be cheaper than that produced domestically where rules are stricter. Economists predict financial hard times for the UK after Brexit, and people will naturally lean towards cheaper products. The consequences are obvious: poorer animal welfare and poorer UK farmers. The UK has always been a key player in the EU on international animal welfare matters to ensure the EU has a block vote in international bodies like the International Whaling Committee, and the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has animal welfare and protection at its heart, from elephants to whales. Any change brought about by Brexit must ensure that the UK’s commitment remains unwavering, using its influence to protect endangered animals and their habitats. ASI is working to support MPs and prospective MPs from any party, who are animal friendly and prepared to fight for laws and regulations that protect animals. In these uncertain times, we urgently need your help to ensure that animals are not casualties in post Brexit times. Please donate today to ensure that ASI will be in a position to ensure that animal welfare does not become a forgotten issue.
An End to the Export of Elephants to China
We are very pleased to have been able to help Zimbabwe’s elephants live lives of freedom and salute the vital work of PESLawyers
Giraffes Trade to Be Regulated Across the World
This is a step in the right direction and in Africa particularly, it’s a measure that is needed, given that poaching is out of control.
Landmark Punjab Ruling Should Be a Message to All Courts Around the World
We have to show compassion towards all living creatures. Animals may be mute but we as a society have to speak on their behalf.
Two Pangolins, 272kg of Elephant Tusks Seized From Suspected Poachers in Namibia
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In the final analysis, the southern African countries represented at the Kasane Conference appear intent on moving against science and cogent argument.
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Tiger Found Caged in Houston House
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A Crime of Reporting: Inaccurate Media Failing Zimbabwe’s Elephants
The CNN article characterizes a government whose hands are tied. This is, frankly, erroneous – a mistake.
Arizona’s New Animal Proposal Goes to the Governor
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This is an idea that, if turned into reality, would see Botswana internationally reviled.
35 More Baby Elephants Being Sent From Zimbabwe to Lives of Hell in China
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CITES CoP18 Will Be Held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in May 2019
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Hunters Pepper Caged Fox With Bullets
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Vietnam Continues to Be a Major Center of Ivory Trading
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Japan to Defy the World-Wide Whaling Ban and Start Killing Whales
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UK Introduces Strict Ban on Sale of Ivory
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Some Giraffe Subspecies Are at Risk of Extinction
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New Hope for Fin Whales and Mountain Gorillas
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Could the End of Captive Lion Breeding in South Africa Be In Sight?
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Singapore Seeks a Ban on Ivory Sales
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China Reverses Tiger and Rhino Products Ban
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Orphaned Rhino Highlights the Tragedy of the Trade in Rhino Horn
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Godfray Review Shifts Focus From Badgers to Farmers
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New Knowledge About Tigers Could Help to Protect Them
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Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
They challenge the government to abandon its 25-year bTB eradication policy.
Criminals May Be Using Antiques as a Way to Launder Rhino Horn
Sophisticated criminal networks use every way possible to traffic illegal rhino horn to consumer countries, often routing it through countries in the European Union.
Botswana’s Safari Tourism Industry to Fight Elephant Poaching
Until recently, these forces have combined to stop widespread poaching activity, making Botswana a haven for Africa’s increasingly threatened wildlife.
Conference Focuses Spotlight on the Illegal Wildlife Trade
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The Airline Industry Has the Power to Curb Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
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Vietnamese Wildlife Syndicates a Growing Threat to Elephants
While the seizures likely represent a small fraction of the actual volume trafficked, they represent as many as 11,414 dead elephants.
Sniffer Dogs Prove Their Worth in Rhino Poaching Crisis
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Tories Expand Cruel and Pointless Badger Cull
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Is Zimbabwe Exporting Rhinos to China?
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Kudos for Singapore Airlines. It Won’t Transport Lion Bones From South Africa
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Elephant Massacre in Botswana
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Is the Tide Turning for Elephants?
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Canned Lion Hunting
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Legal Challenge to the Controversial Badger Cull
According to the Badger Trust, 30,000 badgers have been killed since 2013 as a result of the Defra’s policy to cull badgers.
A Step Backwards for the American People
We assure our supporters that ASI will continue to push back against laws like this one that lead to untold pain and hardship for wild animals.
Wildlife Crime: Global Seizures and Arrests in Transcontinental Operation
The global law enforcement community is to be congratulated for these significant seizures.
South Africa’s Famed Wildlife Is at Risk
When wildlife becomes a commodity as it has done in South Africa, the welfare of animals becomes secondary.
Australia Seeks to Stop the Trade in Donkeys Before It Starts
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Pet Shop Sales Ban Could Help to End the Misery of the Illegal Puppy Trade
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Yulin Is the Evil Headquarters of China’s Animal Cruelty
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Huntsman Is Found Guilty and Fined
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Oxford Residents to Say “No” to the Badger Cull
Animal Survival International (formerly Political Animal Lobby) spokesperson, David Barritt, said the organisation agreed absolutely with the Oxfordshire Badger Group and ASI was heartened by the groundswell of support for badgers that is rising across Britain.
ASI and NFA Honor Daphne Sheldrick
“Daphne was a giant among animal lovers,” said David Barritt, NFA campaign director and a spokesperson for ASI. “We honour her life’s work and we pledge to continue doing everything in our power to protect the wild animals and wild places of Africa.”
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