Improving animal welfare is something I passionately believe in. It was great to meet the legendary Sir Ranulph Fiennes recently to discuss the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation’s work to ban live exports, crack down on illegal puppy and kitten smuggling, make dog abduction a specific offence, and better enforce existing animal welfare protections. I was proud as a local councillor to stop live animals being given as prizes in Elmbridge, given the awful conditions they are often kept in.
In recent years, the government has introduced the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act which brought in tougher sentences for animal cruelty, increasing maximum sentences. The Ivory Act came into force in 2022 and has recently been extended to cover five more endangered species, but we need to go further.
Thank you to Sir Ranulph and everyone at the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation for the work you do.
