Animal
rights is an issue that is of the highest order of importance for some voters,
admittedly a small minority. However, my experience suggests that for many, if
not most, people it is something that does resonate at some level. Britain is
characterised as a nature of animal lovers, and this is what my experience as
an activist and candidate also tells me.
Needless
cruelty sits ill with the many; whilst the few were pleased with the prospect
of a David Cameron Government bringing back fox hunting; Theresa May also
wishes for this barbarity to return. I cannot recall anyone contacting me
celebrating to prospect of a return to hunting with dogs, yet I did receive a
fair amount of correspondence aghast at the idea that we, the UK, could go
backwards in respect of animal rights.
The
last Labour Government introduced a number of animal welfare issues, which
mercifully still remain intact. This includes the ban on hunting with dogs, a
law that needs tightening if anything (not repealing). As Labour looks towards
the next General Election, and the strong possibility of a return to
Government, it will begin to look at what it wants to do with power. In my
opinion, animal rights deserves a place in the manifesto, with a commitment to
carrying on the good work of the previous Labour Government.
There
are a number of reasons beyond the cruelty aspect why animal welfare matters.
The environment and our health benefit from a number of initiatives in this
area. Whilst Government should not be telling people what to eat, it already
does encourage healthier lifestyles. This could be enhanced by pointing out the
advantages of reduced meat consumption. Meat-free Mondays, for instance, could
be encouraged in schools and the public sector.
The
environment is a huge issue, one that we cannot afford to get wrong. There are
demonstrable environmental gains from reduced meat consumption, both as regards
to greenhouse gases and biodiversity.
We
should also look at what cruel sports remain in the UK. An obvious example is
game bird shooting. Killing just for the thrill of it belongs in the Middle
Ages, not in the twenty-first century.
There
are studies that link animal cruelty with abusive behaviour in general. Anything
that reduces the latter is a gain for society as a whole.
The
laws on vivisection were also tightened by the last Labour Government. These
could and should be looked at again. I am not proposing a complete ban on
vivisection - the advance of medicine and the consequential improvement in
public health trump all in my opinion. However, vivisection must be provably
medically important, and not just the cheap or easy option.
We
all believe that a Labour Government is vital for the many, and reprehensible
for the few. It is also vital for animals and those who love them. Labour has
to appeal across a broad canvass of issues, and the protection of innocent
animals against the worst excesses of cruelty must be a part of this.