2019 Election Candidate Survey

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire. The results will be shown on our Vote for Animals website.

If you would like to discuss these issues further, or would like more information, then please email [email protected] or phone 01732 364 546.

If you were successful in the forthcoming General Election, would you support the following measures? Please note that more information about each of these is provided at the end of the questionnaire.

More information about the pledges

  1. Tens of thousands of breeding pheasants and partridges are kept in battery-style cages. Repeated investigations by Animal Aid have shown that these are often devoid of even the minimal ‘enrichment’ that is required by regulations. The eggs of these birds are hatched, reared and eventually become the game birds who are shot for sport. Read our briefing sheet.
  2. The whip is allowed to be used in racing for ‘safety’ and ‘encouragement’. The term ‘encouragement’ means using the whip to force horses to run faster. The RSPCA agrees that the whip should only be used for safety purposes. Read our briefing sheet.
  3. In 2018, 1,941 animals were used in warfare experiments, at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Previous experiments have included guinea pigs being exposed to the toxic nerve agent VX and marmosets being exposed to Ebola. As well as being cruel, these experiments are also medically useless, since the results cannot be reliably translated to people. Read our briefing sheet.
  4. Natural England currently issues licences for the rescue and release of small numbers of grey squirrels. The licence is required because grey squirrels are classified as ‘non-native’. From 1 December, licences will no longer be issued for rescued grey squirrels to be released, meaning they will either have to be euthanised or held in captivity for the rest of their lives. For more information, read our briefing sheet.

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