The RSPCA gives its key takeaways from the Conservative Party Conference this week after the charity highlighted the UK Government’s 15 broken promises for animals.
David Bowles
, the RSPCA’s head of public affairs, was in attendance with other representatives from the charity and gave his key takeaways from the week.
The Conservative Party Conference was held in Manchester from 1-4 October and saw delegates gather in the Northern city to discuss important issues facing the UK - including many representatives from the animal welfare sector.
Unfortunately, the Conference came at a difficult time for animal welfare, with many of us in a slightly despondent mood.
From pigs through to puppies, PM Rishi Sunak and his UK Government have U-turned on a litany of promises for animal welfare, most notably binning their flagship Kept Animals Bill which would have helped tackle the puppy trade, ban live exports and stop imports of dogs with cropped ears, as well as much more. The final straw came over the summer when a planned consultation into banning the use of cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs was shelved. RSPCA analysis made it 15 policies the UK Government has back-tracked on for animals in recent years - so while there have been some policy wins for animal welfare in recent years, I headed to Manchester eager to hear how Conservative decision-makers planned to revive their flagging animal welfare agenda.?
Here are my five take-aways from this year’s Conservative Conference:?
- Sadly, there was no movement on the 15 broken promises for animals. The words "animal welfare" did not feature in the Prime Minister's 7,500 word speech - missing an opportunity to use the Conference platform to revive his animal welfare record which we know is so important to the British people.?
- Conservative MPs could yet play a key role in bringing some abandoned policies back. It was great to chat to many elected representatives at the Conference about a big few months ahead for animal welfare. We’re hopeful issues like tackling the puppy trade and banning live exports could be taken forward as a Private Members’ Bill in November by Conservative MPs. They will get the chance to join a ballot to try to introduce the laws they think are important. This means, despite the Conference coming to a close, elected representatives still have time to make change happen for animals.
- We need the public’s help to ensure animal welfare remains on the agenda. I had many conversations with delegates in the hall which highlighted just how important animal welfare is - and politicians are always quick to highlight that their postbag is often full of letters from constituents about pets, wildlife and farm animal issues. Four years ago, the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said on the Downing Street steps that he would “promote the welfare of animals” as a cause “so close to the hearts of the British people” - that still rings true; but we’ll need the public’s help in making the case for animal welfare policies loud and clear in the coming months.
- Animal welfare is interconnected to wider policy issues that are high up on the agenda. Discussions on Net Zero and climate change were commonplace at Conference - and these open up questions around the environmental impact of factory farming and the adverse effects on wildlife due to habitat loss. Progress on improving safety online was another talking point at the Conference and we see first-hand how animal cruelty seen online visible on the internet can influence how people, especially young children, view animals - and should not be overlooked. We are therefore delighted that the UK Government has recently passed a law to rectify this. It was all another reminder just how important animal welfare is - and its influence on other policy areas too. Animal welfare is everyone's welfare.
- We can do brilliant work together for animal welfare. The RSPCA, alongside other animal welfare charities, had a number of representatives at Conference; and it was great to run a stand alongside our friends at Humane Society International, Four Paws and Compassion in World Farming.. Visitors included Thérèse Coffey, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We know our voices are stronger together and this was a great example of how cross-charity working is helping to improve animal welfare - discussing topics as varied as live exports, the use of crates and cages, animal welfare labelling on food, fur, trade deals, puppy imports and a shift away from intensive animal agriculture to nature friendly farming.
The Conference trips continue - and the RSPCA makes the short trip from Manchester to Liverpool for Labour Conference next weekend.? This Conference season, we’re urging the public to contact their MPs of all political parties and tell them that they must act now to help animals and rescue these policies previously promised by the UK Government. To take action, visit: https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/actnowforanimals?
