Common Decency

#VotesForAnimals

As Brian said at the march on 24th April 2015 in Westminster, “I don’t believe there is any rational basis for believing that humans are the only important species on the planet.”

What have we heard from the politicians in the last week as they have launched their glossy books of pledges and promises, all downloadable in PDF form? Two words have been chucked around quite a lot – “properly costed”. We are meant to like that. The sums, we are told, add up. This makes us feel reassured, apparently. In the case of UKIP the bits that are “properly costed” are also “independently verified”.

But how much do these documents actually speak to us? Have we not, in the last couple of weeks, become so swamped by the billions that were promised and will be promised, and been so befuddled by whose billions are right and whose are wrong, that we have become completely immune to any sense of what a billion actually is?

In keeping with one of the pillars of Common Decency, let us spend a little while turning the spotlight on animal welfare. The attitude by this government to badgers and the lingering aspirations of the Tories towards foxes and hunting generally were both the genesis for Common Decency. So, let us examine what the major parties offer.

Labour Party Manifesto (pages: 86)

Here it is:

http://b.3cdn.net/labouruk/e1d45da42456423b8c_vwm6brbvb.pdf

The large part of the text is, unsurprisingly, dedicated to the economy, housing, NHS etc. There is a total of 9 full pages of photos of happy humans in various employment/family contexts. At page 57 is the only reference to animals:

“We will build on our strong record on animal welfare – starting with an end to the Government’s ineffective and cruel badger cull. We will improve the protection of dogs and cats, ban wild animals in circuses, defend the hunting ban and deal with wildlife crime associated with shooting.”

This is short and succinct, but rather lost in the bigger narrative. But the Labour party released its own excellent 4 page glossy animal welfare manifesto in February. Read it here:

http://b.3cdn.net/labouruk/1c898776c42677bb69_eum6vj1eg.pdf

How much publicity did it actually get? Not a lot, unless you picked it up on Twitter. And 2 months is a long time. So if animal welfare is important to the Labour Party, why not make the 86 page manifesto 88 or 89 pages, and annex the Protecting Animals manifesto to the main one? Maria Eagles is committed to this – so put it alongside the economy and the NHS.

Conservative Party Manifesto (pages: 81)

Here it is:

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/manifesto2015/ConservativeManifesto2015.pdf

Again, many happy pictures of people, imposing photos of David Cameron and one of Big Ben. Animal welfare is dealt with at page 55:

“We will protect animal welfare The quality of the food on your plate, and the economic security of our farmers, depend on us upholding the highest standards of animal welfare. We will push for high animal welfare standards to be incorporated into international trade agreements and into reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. We will ban wild animals in circuses and press for all EU member states to ensure that animals are only sent to slaughterhouses that meet high welfare standards. We will encourage other countries to follow the EU’s lead in banning animal testing for cosmetics and work to accelerate the global development and take-up of alternatives to animal testing where appropriate. We want people to integrate fully into British society, but that does not mean they should have to give up the things they hold dear in their religion. So while we will always make sure the Food Standards Agency properly regulates the slaughter of livestock and poultry, we will protect methods of religious slaughter, such as shechita and halal.

We will tackle international wildlife trade As hosts of the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, we helped secure the adoption of the London Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade and will continue to lead the world in stopping the poaching that kills thousands of rhinos, elephants and tigers each year. We will oppose any resumption of commercial whaling, and seek further measures at the EU and internationally to end shark-finning. We will promote effective worldwide measures for tuna conservation, press for a total ban on ivory sales, and support the Indian Government in its efforts to protect the Asian elephant. We will press for full ‘endangered species’ status for polar bears and a ban on the international trade in polar bear skins, as well as for greater attention to be paid to the impact of climate change on wildlife and habitats in Polar Regions in the Arctic Council and other international fora”

Some pretty worthy thoughts there, particularly in the second paragraph. But isn’t that worthiness somewhat undermined by the absence of any mention of the badger cull or a return to hunting with dogs? Why is it unacceptable for foreigners to poach rhinos, elephants and tigers abroad but perfectly acceptable and within the traditions of our green and pleasant land to allow dogs to rip foxes to shreds for pleasure? Is not the mindset of the poacher and hunter exactly the same? Have a read of this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/prominent-fox-hunting-supporters-step-up-tory-support-and-expect-repeal-of-ban-in-return-10154990.html

In fact there is a Conservative agenda that properly speaks for the foxes and badgers in our land. The CAFH (Conservatives against Fox Hunting), also known as Blue Fox. In February they published an 18 point document to be considered for the Tory manifesto. Hares, foxes and badgers were in the top 3 – none make it to the full manifesto though, to be fair, others do:

http://www.conservativesagainstfoxhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/BlueFox-edit-2015-Manifesto.pdf-1.pdf

It’s clear, therefore, that mainstream Conservatives do have a conscience towards animals but, perhaps, not their own (large) back yards. Interestingly, on Andrew Marr’s show (19th April) the PM told us that he hasn’t hunted for years, likes shooting and refused to answer whether he would ever do it again if it were made legal. He told Countryside Alliance magazine that people should have the freedom to hunt and a Conservative government would give MPs freedom to vote to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote.

Liberal Democrat Manifesto (pages: 158!)

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/libdems/pages/8907/attachments/original/1429028133/Liberal_Democrat_General_Election_Manifesto_2015.pdf?1429028133

There is a large chunk of this manifesto (from page 79 onwards) that is devoted to the environment and climate change generally and references to animal welfare can be found within them. Here are a couple of extracts:

“Tackle wildlife and environmental crime with increased enforcement of environmental regulations by all relevant authorities and higher penalties to ensure environmental crime is not a financial risk worth taking. Improve UK enforcement of the EU Birds and Habitats Directive. Bring forward a package of measures to protect bees and other pollinators, including legal protection for bumblebee nests. Designate an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas with appropriate management by 2020.

Liberal Democrats believe in the highest standards of animal welfare. We will review the rules surrounding the sale of pets to ensure they promote responsible breeding and sales and minimise the use of animals in scientific experimentation, including by funding research into alternatives. We remain committed to the three Rs of humane animal research: Replace, Reduce, Refine.”

And, importantly:

• Continue to improve standards of animal welfare, building on Britain’s leadership. We will review the use of cages, crates and routine preventive antibiotics.
• Introduce effective, science-led ways of controlling bovine TB, including by investing to produce workable vaccines, in line with the TB Eradication Strategy. We will only support extending the existing cull pilots if they are shown to be effective, humane and safe.”

There appears to be no overt reference to the Lib Dems view of a returning with dogs. Nor does their website make it clear. It seems that this may be a matter of individuals at a free vote, although one local Lib Dem candidate suggests that most Liberal Democrats are against fox hunting. If that is so, why not make it clear?

UKIP manifesto (pages: 76)

Read it here:

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/ukipdev/pages/1103/attachments/original/1429295050/UKIPManifesto2015.pdf?1429295050

The section devoted to animal welfare appears at page 47 and says as follows:

“We can only regain control of animal health and welfare by leaving the EU. UKIP takes both issues seriously and we will: • Triple the maximum jail sentences for animal cruelty and torture • Impose lifetime bans on owning and/or looking after animals on any individual or company convicted of animal cruelty or torture • Keep the ban on animal testing for cosmetics • Challenge companies using animals for testing drugs or other medical treatments on the necessity for this form of testing, as opposed to the use of alternative technology • Tightly regulate animal testing • Ban the export of live animals for slaughter • Insist on formal non-stun training and certification for all religious slaughtermen to ensure the highest standards are adhered to • Install CCTV in every abattoir, monitored by the Meat Hygiene Service, and deal severely with any contraventions.”

Note no overall ban on animal testing (other than for cosmetics), and no specific reference to the badger cull or whether there should be a return to hunting with dogs, nor on international wildlife or conservation.

A local UKIP candidate was asked for clarification as to UKIP’s policy on hunting. His reply was that this writer was a “socialist media junkie” who should prioritise other more important matters.

That said, the proposal to triple sentences for animal cruelty and torture is welcome, particularly in light of the RSPCA’s report of April 2015 that said that cruelty to animals was on the increase and had become “disturbingly inventive.”

Plaid Cymru Manifesto (pages: 62)

The full manifesto is here:

https://www.partyof.wales/uploads/Plaid_Cymru_2015_Westminster_Manifesto.pdf

and their Farming Manifesto is here:

https://www.partyof.wales/uploads/Farming_Manifesto.pdf

In the full manifesto, much emphasis is placed on food production and the importance of the countryside. So far as overt mention of animal welfare is concerned, the briefest mention appears at page 47:

“We support the introduction of a European-level Animal Welfare Commissioner and adoption at all government levels of the new and comprehensive Animal Welfare law to end animal cruelty.”

The farming manifesto, designed to demonstrate Plaid’s commitment to its large farming community, is silent on the issue of the badger cull. This is important, given the disastrous history of the Welsh badger cull that led to the High Court ruling it unlawful. The badger cull was scrapped in Wales in order to allow a 5 year vaccination plan to continue. So why no mention of it in either manifesto? In fact, Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru wrote for the Countryside Alliance in March 2015:

Plaid Cymru is content to allow the bovine TB vaccination programme currently underway in Wales to run its course in order that we can learn some important lessons about the process and its effectiveness. We believe that the broadest range of interventions is necessary to eradicate bTB.

http://www.countryside-alliance.org/ca/join-us-members-benefits-and-offers/plaid-cymru-leader-leanne-wood-writes-for-us

The party’s manifestos appear silent on a repeal or otherwise of the Hunting Act.

Green Party Manifesto (pages: 82)

Read it here:

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/manifesto/Green_Party_2015_General_Election_Manifesto_Searchable.pdf

When you read at the beginning of chapter 1:

“Imagine a world in which we protect the planet, its land and its oceans, and the plants, animals and people that live on it”

it comes as no surprise that animal welfare is a cornerstone of this manifesto. It would be pointless simply to reproduce their pledges to wildlife here. “Respect for animals” is set out as one aim to help “heal the planet”. There then appear fully 4 pages (14 to 17) that are dedicated to the Green Party’s commitment to animals. The full catalogue of pledges is thoroughly impressive and repays a full reading. It touches on areas of animal welfare that would, quite simply, be beyond the understanding of the other parties.

As if that were not enough, the Greens have also launched a manifesto specifically directed to animal welfare. Read it here.

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/resources/animal_manifesto.pdf

SNP Manifesto (pages: 39)

Here is the document in full:

http://votesnp.com/docs/manifesto.pdf

and the part devoted to animal welfare is tucked in at page 19 under “Species Protection”

While responsibility for animal welfare is devolved to the Scottish Parliament –and the SNP in government is already working to improve the conditions of kept animals, including consultations on responsible dog ownership and wild animals in travelling circuses, and giving consideration to further protection at slaughter, the registration or licensing of horse establishments and a review of tail docking in working dogs - at Westminster we will support further animal welfare measures with a global focus. This includes action to end the illegal ivory trade and protect species such as polar bears and bluefin tuna.

Again, short and non-specific. There is nothing in here about hunting or the badger call although, to be fair, the issue of bovine tuberculosis appears not to be an issue in Scotland, as this paper published in April 2013 appeared to suggest:

http://www.brianmay.com/brian/letters/letterspix/14/April-2013-BOVINE-TB-INFECTION-IS-NOT-AN-ISSUE-IN-CATTLE-OR-BADGERS-IN-SCOTLAND.pdf

It is quite clear that of the major players, the Labour Party has demonstrated its commitment to abolition of the badger cull and its support of the hunting ban. But the manifestos of the Green Party leave those of their rivals trailing far behind. Why? Because the Greens put the issue of compassion towards the planet, animals and those most vulnerable in the world at the top of their agenda. In a week when the UN have condemned Europe for its total failure of compassion in relation to the tragedy surrounding migrants fleeing oppression, shouldn’t we feel grateful that we do have a genuinely compassionate choice in this election?

The other parties treat animal welfare as a manifesto box to be ticked, a footnote in the narrative of the unintelligible billions and of the promises that may never be kept. If any of these parties had simply omitted to mention animal welfare in their manifestos, it is fair to say that very few people would have noticed.

24th April 2015