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Party leaders urged to defend animal welfare laws
caged dog
‘All parties should deliver meaningful action to deliver on the UK’s desired identity as a world leader in animal welfare'.
Calls for five-year jail terms for animal cruelty

A coalition of animal welfare groups is urging all party leaders to protect and strengthen animal welfare laws, ahead of the General Election in June.

In an open letter to all election candidates, 21 charities and campaign groups call for a national database of those convicted of animal cruelty, as well as a five-year maximum jail term for these offences.

Candidates are also urged to protect laws such as the Animal Welfare Act, Hunting Act, Protection of Badgers Act, Wildlife and Countryside Act and the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations.

The laws protecting animals govern areas such as cruelty, the trade in endangered species, hunting and shooting, bird and habitat protection, live animal transport, animal experimentation, organised animal fighting and the commercial trade in animals.

Concerns were raised that these laws could be weakened, repealed or replaced following the election or Brexit. Signatories include the Born Free Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare and National Animal Welfare Trust.

Party leaders were also encouraged to tackle issues such as trophy hunting and whaling.

The letter reads: ’We have come together at this election to call upon all political parties to include a clear commitment in their manifestos to maintain and strengthen existing protections for the welfare of animals, reflecting science and society’s growing understanding of the physical and emotional needs of animals.

‘All parties should deliver meaningful action to deliver on the UK’s desired identity as a world leader in animal welfare, including delivering a complete ban on the ivory and rhino horn trade, and ensuring that the global commercial whaling ban remains in place, and—critically—ensuring that promoting higher animal welfare is an essential precondition of any existing and new UK trade deals post-Brexit.’

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.