Animal welfare campaign launched

The Handle with Care coalition launched its campaign this week, releasing undercover film footage of the global trade in live animals.

The coalition includes the RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International League for the Protection of Horses.

WSPA campaigns director Leah Garcés said: “British people are growing increasingly concerned with the way animals are treated.

“We were determined to show people the truth of this hidden and brutal traffic in animals – if you see it for yourself you just know it must be stopped.”

The coalition highlighted the transport of farm animals across long distances for slaughter, simply so they can be labelled as produce of the destination country.

Instead, they claim animals should be slaughtered as close to the farm as possible and transported as chilled or frozen meat.

CIWF chief executive Philip Lymbery said: “We want government action to ensure that animals are slaughtered as near to the farm of rearing as possible.

“We want government action to recognise and deal with the fact that long distance transport for slaughter is not only cruel and unnecessary but it can stop, and must stop.

“The fact is refrigerated and chilled technology has been with us for 125 years so the means is there and we want the collective will.”

The coalition is calling on members of the public to sign a petition and has set up a dedicated website and will also be publishing a hard back book about the trade.

It is hoped that the campaign will spark a similar reaction to scenes in the 1990s when mass public protests were held calling for an end to the trade.

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