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Government to consult on banning live animal exports
The consultation will seek views on live animals export and how to better protect animal welfare during transport.

Move welcomed by vets and animal welfare campaigners.

Long journeys for animals exported for slaughter could be banned under new Government proposals.

A new consultation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will run for eight weeks seeking views on live animals export and how to better protect animal welfare during transport.

While the BVA is not calling for a complete ban on live animal exports, the organisation has welcomed the move, saying it has “long believed that animals should be slaughtered as close as possible to where they have been reared.” But the National Farmers Union (NFU) said that any change “could potentially have a massive impact on the UK food supply chain."

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “We are committed to improving the welfare of animals at all stages of life. Today marks a major step forward in delivering on our manifesto commitment to end live exports for slaughter.

“Now that we have left the EU, we have an opportunity to end this unnecessary practice. We want to ensure that animals are spared stress prior to slaughter.”

According to Defra, some 6,400 animals were sent to the UK to continental Europe in 2018. It said that it had previously been unable to pursue a ban because of the EU trading rules on the movement of animals.

'Previously, EU rules prevented any changes to these journeys, but leaving the EU has enabled the UK Government to pursue these plans which would prevent unnecessary suffering of animals during transport and see us become the first country in Europe to end this practice,' Defra said.

The consultation will consider stricter rules on transporting animals in extreme temperatures, tighter rules for transporting live animals by sea, measures to cut the amount of time animals spend on the road, and plans to give animals more space and headroom.

BVA response

The move has received the backing of the BVA, whose policy on the welfare of livestock during transport, states that animals should be slaughtered as close to the point of production as possible.

BVA president, James Russell said: “BVA has long believed that animals should be slaughtered as close as possible to where they have been reared and not be exported to countries with unknown standards or standards that are below those in the UK. We welcome this consultation looking at all aspects of animal welfare at transport.

“Live animal transport is a complex issue which includes varying factors of welfare and needs of different species. It is important to recognise that journey length and time are not the only things which can affect welfare, and that an evidence-based approach to improvements is essential.

He continued: “We regularly engage with Government on measures to safeguard animal welfare during transport, and recently gave evidence to the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), on the issue. We will be liaising with our species, specific divisions, and members to form a response to this consultation.”

NFU response

NFU livestock board chairman, Richard Findlay said the changes “could potentially have a massive impact on the UK food supply chain”.

Speaking to BBC News, he said: "The NFU has developed a solution to raise the standards for live exports for slaughter. We believe that an assurance scheme which goes beyond the current regulation would be best to ensure all animals travel in the best possible conditions and that they arrive at the approved and final destination in the best possible health.”

Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA

Compassion in World Farming’s Chief Policy Advisor Peter Stevenson said the organisation was “delighted that Defra plans to ban live exports for slaughter and fattening. We have campaigned for over 50 years against the massive suffering caused by this inhumane, archaic trade, so this unambiguous proposal is very welcome.”

RSPCA CEO Chris Sherwood also welcomed the plans, adding that he looked “forward seeing this happen as the RSPCA has campaigned on this issue for more than 50 years.”

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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. 

Click here for more...
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.