Statement on the June 2017 General Election

With the Conservative party unable to amend the Hunting Act in 2015 when it had a majority government, now that majority is significantly reduced, we are hopeful that the hunting ban is safe for the time being. But we will remain vigilant and are prepared to take action if another attempt is made to repeal or water down this vital piece of legislation.

The badger cull appears set to continue, however, and we renew our condemnation of this appalling and cruel persecution of wild animals. It is Animal Aid’s view that the current tuberculosis problem amongst cattle in this country is a consequence of intensive farming practices, rather than innocent wildlife, and urges everyone to end their support for dairy farming by going vegan.

We are also determined to ensure the Conservative party upholds the few animal protection pledges made in its election manifesto, particularly its promise to make CCTV mandatory for all slaughterhouses in the UK, and we will push for this to be independently monitored.

It is no secret that the Conservative party has an extremely poor history on animal related issues; from its failure to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, to its introduction and expansion of the badger cull and its decision to drop a full ban on ivory sales, not to mention its repeated attempts to reintroduce hunting with dogs. It is therefore extremely disappointing that it should remain the largest party in the British parliament. But without a clear majority, we hope that its capacity to make the situation worse for the UK’s animals will be reduced and this will help our work to end animal suffering.

But, whatever the political situation, one of the best ways we can help animals is by raising awareness of their suffering and influencing public opinion. If this is something you are willing to do, please:

• request free leaflets to distribute in your area
• sign up for regular email updates about our campaigns
• request details about campaign groups in your area
• find out about other ways you can support our work