Green pressure for action on animal welfare pays off
Scottish Green MSPs say their consistent pressure for action to improve animal welfare prompted today’s (9 Jan) announcements from the Scottish Government on CCTV in abattoirs, stronger penalties for animal cruelty and fresh legislation on fox hunting.
Scottish Greens food and farming spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP said:
“The Scottish Government is finally listening to the Greens and other advocates of animal welfare, and I welcome the many positive proposals in the Minister’s statement and hope that it marks a new phase for this Government. It shows that Green pressure works.
“However, a number of key areas were missing from the minister's statement including dealing with live exports and welfare concerns related to farm animal transport, which a TV documentary brought to greater public attention last year. Consumers of Scottish produce need assurances that animals are treated with care and respect, and Greens will keep up the pressure on this issue."
Alison Johnstone MSP said:
"Many people believe fox-hunting was banned in Scotland more than a decade ago. The truth is that legislation was more loophole than ban, and we now know at least some of those loopholes will be closed. When we see the Scottish Government’s final proposals I am sure the Greens will push them to go further, and I would hope to get Parliament’s support for the kind of comprehensive ban on fox-hunting that the public expect.
"Across a wide range of animal welfare issues, Scotland has been failing for a generation. Some of those failings will now be addressed, but we will need to go further. Greens are determined that Scotland must have an animal welfare framework we can all be proud of.”