United for Animals
Last Friday 14th June, was our fourth annual international day of awareness initiated by Compassion in World Farming to demonstrate global opposition to the abhorrent trade of long distance transport of live animals.
We co-ordinated with other committed and passionate NGOs, activists and animal lovers across 43 different countries in order to raise awareness of the horrific trade in live sentient beings. There were many colourful, but peaceful protests from Uganda to Liberia and New Zealand to Canada, making this year’s Stop Live Transport: International Awareness Day, the biggest to date!
I was honoured to participate and to speak to the crowd that gathered at the Reformers Tree in London. To stand with so many like-minded people from all corners of the UK and Europe is an uplifting experience, but whilst we have made progress, the continued export of live animals from the UK and the transport of live farm animals for further fattening and slaughter is one of the most inhumane activities in the agricultural industry.
Each year, millions are transported, some for very long distances, often over thousands of kilometres – by air, sea or land – to be slaughtered or fattened for slaughter. During these long journeys they suffer tremendously due to stress, exhaustion, over-heating and injuries. Tragically, some will die. Daily it seems, we hear about the cruelty inflicted on farm animals being transported somewhere in the world – many are sheep and calves kept in over-crowded conditions without enough food, water, or space to move, and often face inhumane slaughter at their final destination.
The trade is a worldwide phenomenon and a very ugly and cruel industry.
I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many thousands of people who stood with Compassion in World Farming last Friday calling for this awful trade to be banned and to all those who also participated in over 120 actions around the world. It was truly inspiring and uplifting.
As I said at Hyde Park, it is important that we keep the pressure on policy makers to ban live exports from the UK and I am determined that we will stop this evil transport trade.
I thank you all for your continued support, dedication and determination. Together we will continue to speak up for animals and we will protest, campaign and petition until the horror of live exports and long distance transportation is stopped once and for all.
Thank you.
If you are a UK resident please ask your MP to take action against cruel UK live exports.
Wherever you may be in the world, if you are interested to see how you can help, please use this link.