Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they are going to ban the
export of live animals for slaughter and fattening.
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs () (Con)
My Lords, the Government recognise the long-standing public
concern about livestock and horses being exported for slaughter
and fattening. We are determined to deliver our manifesto
commitment to end this trade. There have been no live exports for
slaughter or fattening since 2020 and we want to make this
permanent. We will be taking this forward during the remainder of
this Parliament.
(Con)
I thank my noble friend for his Answer. Although almost no
animals are being shipped abroad at the moment, this does not
mean that the trade cannot be restarted, so I am very glad to
hear that the Government will stick to their manifesto
commitment. What will the timing be for the Bill? Please can my
noble friend assure us that enough time will be given by the
Government to get it through before the next general
election?
(Con)
I can assure my noble friend that this is a priority under Our
Action Plan for Animal Welfare and that we will bring it forward
in this Parliament. We want to make sure that, as she says, we
stop the infrastructure that supports this trade. As I say, there
have been no cases of animals transported for slaughter or
fattening since 2021 and we want to make sure that we make that
permanent.
(Lab)
My Lords, when will a suitable border inspection post be up and
running in Calais? Can the Minister give a commitment that the
ban will be introduced before live animal exports can go through
Calais again, because I understand that that has been the barrier
to there not being any in the recent past?
(Con)
The noble Baroness is absolutely right. We are in negotiations
with the French authorities, and we want to make sure that there
is a good border control post at Coquelles. That will assist us
as well with the illegal import of products of animal origin,
which are causing us great concern for biosecurity. I cannot give
her an exact date, but I feel sure that a post will be created,
and that will regularise the trade in both directions.
of Hardington Mandeville
(LD)
My Lords, on 3 December 2020, the Government published a
consultation on the banning of the live export of animals for
slaughter and fattening, and this closed in February 2021. This
measure was included in the kept animals Bill that went through
the Commons and was killed off in May. Are the Government now
relying on a Private Member’s Bill to bring this measure
forward?
(Con)
No, I am hoping that it will be a government Bill.
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend has managed to assuage my wrath, for
the time being. That is probably very unkind, because in the past
I think he has been more the messenger than the author of the
non-activity. None the less, can he tell all those involved in
this matter that we and all those who are interested in animal
welfare will be watching the timetable for this with the eyes of
a number of hawks—so he had better deliver?
(Con)
I sit in awe of my noble friend’s determination, and I want to
make sure that there is no wrath in her. I gently remind her that
we have a very good record on animal welfare. We have delivered
in primary legislation the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act, the
Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, the Animals (Penalty Notices)
Act, the Ivory Act 2018, which came into force in 2022, as well
as measures to crack down on hare coursing—and with her
assistance and that of the Government, the Glue Traps (Offences)
Act. We will deliver many of the items of the kept animals Bill
in a variety of ways, including through Private Members’ Bills,
and we will make sure that they are on the statute book soon.
(Con)
My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that there is no intention
to restrict the movement of live racehorses from one meeting to
another, which takes place on a considerable scale at the present
time?
(Con)
The passage of elite animals for competition and for breeding is
absolutely open, and will continue—it has a very high welfare
standard. There are issues about the cost and bureaucracy
involved, but that requires both sides of the channel to be in
co-operation. It is a very important industry in this country,
and we will support it.
(GP)
My Lords, this was a manifesto promise by the Government years
ago, yet for some reason they have consistently put it off—they
have announced new powers and then put it off again. It was said
that it was Brexit that was stopping it from being enacted.
Brexit is done and dusted, so why has it not happened? Either
Brexit has not happened, or the Government are just rubbish.
(Con)
It is certainly not the latter. You have a manifesto commitment,
which you deliver over the course of a Parliament—that is what we
are going to do. But the noble Baroness can sleep easy, because
not one single animal is being exported. There is one vessel, the
“Jolene”, which operates out of Ramsgate, which has not exported
a single animal for fattening or slaughter. The concern that
people have is that animals are going to be exported to other
parts of Europe that have lower welfare standards in their
slaughterhouses than we do in ours. That is a legitimate
concern—and something that the Government want to make sure will
not recur.
of Ullock (Lab)
My Lords, the Minister said he hopes this is going to be a
government Bill, so why does he not just bring back the kept
animals Bill?
(Con)
One of the items in the kept animals Bill, on the keeping of
primates as pets, is a good example of something we can deliver
more quickly than we could in an all-encompassing Bill, and we
are going to do that through secondary legislation. We are in
consultation with a number of people who will bring forward items
through Private Members’ Bills, with the Government’s support. We
want to get all of them on the statute book, but I hope that the
noble Baroness, like me, is proud of what this Government are
doing for animal welfare.
(Con)
My Lords, will my noble friend give the House an assurance this
afternoon that the ban is reciprocal and that we will not be
importing live animals from the EU for slaughter and fattening in
this country?
(Con)
There has never been a significant import trade for slaughter or
fattening. For example, from 2019 to 2021, only 91 cattle and 14
sheep were imported for slaughter from the mainland EU. A key
concern of many of those who opposed live exports was that once
they are exported to the EU, we do not know where they are going.
We can now make sure that, through the actions of the Animal and
Plant Health Agency, we are keeping track of everything, so we
want to make sure this ban is in place as soon as possible.
(Lab Co-op)
My Lords, I have been listening carefully to the Minister’s
reply. He said the legislation will be brought forward in this
Parliament, not in this Session of Parliament, so the noble
Baroness, Lady Fookes, is very wise to keep an eye on what the
Minister is up to. Can I help him? I have a suggestion. We can
have it in this Session of Parliament; all the Government need to
do is to withdraw immediately the Illegal Migration Bill.
(Con)
I will of course pass on the noble Lord’s words to the business
managers, but I totally agree with him that the noble Baroness,
Lady Fookes, is wise.
(DUP)
My Lords, this was a key element of the kept animals Bill, which
has now, sadly, been shelved. The Minister indicated that he
intended and hoped that this would be brought forward as
government legislation during this Parliament. Can he outline
what other elements of the kept animals Bill he will be bringing
forward as government legislation during this Parliament?
(Con)
I certainly can. In addition to the list I gave earlier, we are
bringing forward the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill;
we have supported the Shark Fins Act and the Animals (Low-Welfare
Activities Abroad) Bill; the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars)
(England) Regulations are now on the statute book; and we are
supporting other Private Members’ Bills. As I said, some items
can be done in secondary legislation, but we want to make sure
that, as was listed in Our Action Plan for Animal Welfare and in
our manifesto, all items will be on the statute book, but there
are a variety of vehicles for delivering them.
(Lab)
My Lords, will the Minister indicate whether this legislation
will be in the forthcoming King’s Speech? What discussions have
already taken place with devolved Administrations, because there
is general UK-wide interest in maintaining animal welfare and
safety?
(Con)
The noble Baroness is absolutely right. The consultation was done
in conjunction with the Welsh Government. We are talking to our
colleagues in Scotland to make sure that they are with us on
this. Of course, in Northern Ireland there is a different
circumstance, because long before we left the EU there was a
one-island policy on biosecurity. There is, from the animals’
point of view, no difference between moving an animal for
slaughter from Fermanagh to Cavan, but there is a big difference
in moving an animal across the channel to a completely different
animal welfare regime. We want to work closely with our
colleagues in Northern Ireland to make sure there is free
movement of animals within our biosecurity system.
