The ban on exporting live animals from Great Britain for fattening and slaughter has come into effect from last week, the website FarmingUK.com reported. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act, brought in by the previous Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and passed by Parliament in May, applies to journeys from, and transit journeys through, Britain to destinations outside the U.K., the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Northern Ireland, which has no border controls with the Republic of Ireland, a member of the European Union, is exempted.
While live exports for breeding, competition, and other purposes are still allowed under strict welfare conditions, the ban is meant to prevent the prolonged stress and potential harm that animals face during long journeys across national borders. The ban affects the export of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and horses for fattening and slaughter, but it does not prevent the export of livestock and horses for breeding or competition.
The department for environment, food and rural affairs, DEFRA for short, said the ban would “protect animals from enduring stress, exhaustion and injury on long and unnecessary export journeys”, FarmingUK reported. Slaughter of British farm animals can only take place in “high-welfare U.K. slaughterhouses”, DEFRA said, “reinforcing (Britain’s) position as a nation of animal lovers and a world leader on animal welfare, boosting the value of British meat and helping to grow the economy”.
Citing data from the government, the website reported that at least 40 million farm animals, including sheep, calves, and pigs, have been exported from Britain for further rearing or slaughter since the 1960s. The new Labour Party government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, which backs the law, has expressed its commitment to introduce the “most ambitious” programme for animal welfare, including banning “brutal practices” such as puppy farming, smuggling, and the use of snare traps, the website reported.
It quoted Baroness Hayman of Ullock, parliamentary undersecretary of state at DEFRA, as saying, “For too long, animals have been left to suffer in silence…. No longer will British animals endure stress, exhaustion, and injury on long and unnecessary journeys abroad. These are just the first steps in our plans to implement the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.”
