Human Environment Animal Protection

Animals Have Friends And Those Friends Have Votes!

May 15, 2014

“I know who I will be voting for; as a voice for animals!”

The European Elections take place on Thursday 22nd May. Since many laws relating to animals – including at slaughter and in vivisection laboratories – are generated in Europe, Animal Aid is asking you to do two things: 1) vote, and 2) think of the animals as you do so.

Animal Aid wrote to the key political parties standing at these elections to ask for their animal protection policies, and we also put to them five questions relating to animal issues affected by European laws. The Green Party, Animal Welfare Party, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru all responded in the required timeframe.

The Conservatives, UKIP, the SNP, Sinn Fein, UUP and the Democratic Unionists did not respond at all.

The Green Party supports an end to live export from the UK; mandatory CCTV for all slaughterhouses; ‘absolutely’ opposes cages for egg-laying hens, farrowing crates for pigs and zero grazing of farmed animals; is committed to ending animal experimentation and investing in non-animal replacements; and does not support the use of animals in circuses, horse racing, dog racing or sport shooting. Green Party candidates are standing in every region.

The Animal Welfare Party is a new political party focused squarely on being a voice for animals in Europe. It opposes live transportation of animals; supports mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses; opposes cages for hens, farrowing crates for pigs and zero grazing; supports a phase-out of all animal use in laboratories; and opposes all use of animals in sport and entertainment. The Animal Welfare Party is standing in London only.

Read the full responses made by these two parties, as well as Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru.

Thank you for making your vote count for animals.