When the Animal Welfare (Saved Animals) Invoice was launched in Parliament on 8 June 2021, there have been excessive hopes that it could result in some actual change for animal welfare within the UK. However almost two years on, not solely is has but to be enshrined into regulation: it’s prone to being scrapped fully.
The Saved Animals Invoice is an formidable Invoice that, amongst different issues, goals to crack down on puppy smuggling; introduce the brand new crime of canine abduction to deter canine theft; and ban the import of dogs with cropped ears.
Regardless of beginning out its journey by Parliament with assist throughout celebration strains, the Saved Animals Invoice stalled earlier than it may obtain its third studying within the House of Commons and transfer on to the House of Lords.
With the political turmoil that led to Boris Johnson’s resignation first, Liz Truss’ quick tenure later, after which Rishi Sunak’s premiership, the Invoice was fully forgotten about. Regardless of calls to permit the Invoice to finish its journey by Parliament, nothing has occurred since – and time is working out, as 8 June 2023 will mark two years because it was first launched.
Dog charity Canine Belief had Waffle, a canine smuggled to the UK from Slovakia, ship a letter to the Prime Minister, asking for the Invoice to be handed by Parliament “before it’s too late”.
“If not passed through Parliament before the 8 June the Kept Animals Bill, which would help bring an end to dogs like Waffle being smuggled into the UK in horrific conditions, and dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears being brought for sale into the UK, will be scrapped,” Canine Belief explains.
Canine Belief Veterinary Director, Paula Boyden, added, “The Saved Animals Invoice has been introduced up in Parliament at least 35 occasions – however every time it’s both been ignored, or a non-committal response has been given. So in the present day, in desperation, I visited No.10 handy ship a letter urging the Prime Minister to please convey again the Invoice earlier than it’s too late, and assist Finish puppy smuggling, so puppies like Waffle don’t proceed to endure.
“Why has the Government continued to allow this to happen? It certainly feels, at the moment, as if the Government made some empty promises in their manifesto – I very much hope they’ll prove me wrong.”
Individuals who need to assist efforts to convey the Invoice again to Parliament can electronic mail the Prime Minister right here.
