The Petition of the people of Thanet,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that the export of live animals is an outdated and unnecessary practice; that over the last year, the UK has seen the number of animals being exported from our shores rise significantly; that the live exports trade has moved to the Port of Ramsgate and that the Petitioners believe that the majority of residents are vehemently opposed to the practice given the undue stress caused to the animals through long periods of travel.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to bring a halt to the export of live animals from the UK, ensure that animals are slaughtered as close to point of origin as practicable, and reduce the number of hours an animal is allowed to travel to a maximum of eight.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Laura Sandys, Official Report, 12 December 2012; Vol. 555, c. 417 .]
[P001148]
The Petition of residents of Truro and Falmouth,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that the export of live animals is an outdated and unnecessary practice; that over the last year, the UK has seen the number of animals being exported from our shores rise significantly; further that the live exports trade has moved to the Port of Ramsgate and that the Petitioners believe that the majority of residents are vehemently opposed to the practice given the undue stress caused to the animals through long periods of travel.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to bring a halt to the export of live animals from the UK, ensure that animals are slaughtered as close to point of origin as practicable, and reduce the number of hours an animal is allowed to travel to a maximum of eight.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Sarah Newton, Official Report, 12 December 2012; Vol. 555, c. 418 .]
[P001150]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
The Government would prefer to see the export of meat or germ plasm rather than livestock, and that animals were slaughtered as close as practical to their point of production. But the export of livestock for slaughter within the EU is a legal trade.
To ban the trade, either directly or by indirect means, would be illegal and would undermine the principle of the free movement of goods enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Nevertheless, if livestock is transported for slaughter, consignments must meet the full requirements of the EU legislation on the protection of animals during transport (Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005).
This legal position on the trade in livestock has been confirmed by a number of rulings in the High Court and the European Court of Justice in the 1990s. The High Court judgment of Lord Justice Simon Brown in the 1995 joined cases of R v Dover Harbour Board (ex parte Gilder), R v Associated British Ports ex parte Plymouth City Council and the European Court of Justice case C - 1/96 R v MAFF ex parte CIWF are both good examples of these rulings.