Policy background
- Public concern regarding live animal exports has a long history: there have been a number of campaigns by animal welfare organisations since the 1990s, aiming either to end live animal exports for slaughter or to limit how far an animal can be transported on welfare grounds. The topic was highlighted at the time of the EU referendum as a benefit of leaving the EU, as the EU free trade rules prevent member states from banning live exports to other EU countries. In 2017, the animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming launched a petition calling for a ban on live exports that attracted 100,752 signatures. 1 In September 2023, a further petition with 95,000 signatures was delivered to the Prime Minister. 2
- A ban on live exports for slaughter and fattening was referenced in the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, published in May 2021, and provisions for a ban were previously included in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, 3 introduced into Parliament in June 2021. In May 2023, the Government announced that the Bill would no longer be progressing. Subsequently, the decision was made to introduce a single-issue Bill to bring in the live exports ban.
- Drawing on the 2019 expert opinion of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee 4 on animal welfare in transport, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in partnership with the Welsh Government, published a consultation in December 2020 on the proposal to end the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter 5 and on other improvements to animal welfare in transport. Defra received over 11,000 responses to the consultation, with 87% of respondents agreeing that livestock and horse export journeys for slaughter and fattening are unnecessary. Defra affirmed in the summary of responses 6 that the Government would proceed with a ban on the export of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs) and horses from England, Wales and Scotland for slaughter and fattening. The Scottish Government also consulted on improvements to animal welfare in transport towards the end of 2020 7 , including restrictions on live exports. Although the consultation did not specifically ask about banning live exports, the summary of responses 8 reports that "a large number of respondents also urge for live export for fattening and slaughter to be phased out."
